Convergence
The Universe of Beat
Ray DeTone
Ray DeTone has composed, produced & performed on hundreds of songs heard globally on MTV, Cinemax, Univision, RAI-TV Italy, Amazon Prime, NetFlix and more. Recent placements include the Alec Baldwin/Danny Glover film “Back In The Day” , Cinemax's hit series "Strikeback", truTVs "Impractical Jokers" and Quaker Oats' "Overnight Oats" global TV ad campaign,. Although mostly known for his prowess and eclecticism on guitar, Ray's compositions for the New York based Omni Music Library, have been heard in countless international ad campaigns. Notably, a Christmas song that played in an endless loop for 6 weeks in the NYC Toys-R-Us holiday pop-up store and a Spanish Classical/Flamenco piece skated to by World Champion Figure Skater, Caroline Zhang.
Ray has toured/recorded/performed with such luminaries as: Grammy-Winning producer, Neil Dorfsman for the Japanese superstar, Himuro; Iron Maiden frontman, Paul Dianno; legendary Liverpool bassist/singer, Mark Clarke; the iconic Ronnie Spector; Billy Squier; hit songwriter, Mark Mangold w. CBS recording artist “Drive, She Said”. Ray, asked to “shred” a Jason Becker song on a benefit CD which also featured Steve Vai, and Marty Friedman, has also guitar'd for a 100+ Chinese pop stars; been heard, if not seen, in the orchestra pit of "Jesus Christ, Superstar" & "Godspell"; performed at Carnegie Hall's “Led Belly Fest” along side blues legends Buddy Guy, Eric Burden, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Edgar Winter & more. He appeared as musical director/guitarist at London’s Wembley Arena for Ali Isabella, the youngest artist to ever grace that iconic stage while working similarly for Russian, Eurovision winner, "Emin" Agalarov's U.S. shows, TV and radio appearances.
Ray has released 3 instrumental CDs, which feature his versatility, technical ability, and ear for melody, funneled through a variety of styles and six-strings. His debut, “Once More ... With Feeling” was licensed in Japan by Big MF/Zain Records.
What's next for Ray DeTone? "I love working with all types of musicians and styles of music and I hope to broaden those opportunities in the future." Well, the future is now , as Ray is an integral part of the Convergence team.
Miho Imoto
Miho majored in Dance at the prestigious Japanese Womens
Physical University. After graduating, she traveled to NYC to pursue her dream of dancing on Broadway. After only a few years of NYC experience, she was asked by George Lucas & Co. to perform in George Lucas Super Live Adventure and returned to Japan to perform in this record breaking box office hit show in which she danced and played the lead role of Hiromi.
Soon after she found herself in Germany, performing in the Rock Musical , “ Tabaluga und Lillie”. Along side one of Germanyʼ s biggest stars, Peter Muffy and having created the original role of Tabaluga, Miho toured the first run in 10,000 seat arenas thruout the country.
Miho then returned to the US and toured the 50 states as Eliza, the lead dance role in the infamous Broadway show, “The King and I” . After completing that tour, she once again hit the road , performing in the 1st National US tour of “Flower Drum Song” .
In her multi-faceted dance career, Miho has danced with the “Alpha Omega Dance Company” ; shared Japanese culture via performances with the “ Japanese Folk Dance Institute Minbuza” ;
founded the “ Sakura Dance Troupe” and performed as special guest for New York Universityʼ s Cultural Exchange, the FBI, AGI etc.
As Lead Dancer for the Billboard Award winning merenge/hip-hop group, Proyecto Uno, Miho again found herself on the road thruout the US and Dominican Republic. After returning to NYC and providing stage direction for the Off Broadway musical “Sake of Geisha” , Miho founded and remains President of Dance Cat NY Corp and Artistic director for Global art and Culture Exchange MAI providing choreography and education in both NYC and Tokyo.
In 2018, she was invited by the mayor of Kuroishi to be ambassador of the city for the Aomori Prefecture and now continues to bridge the cultural divide between nations as the principle dancer and choreographer of Convergence.
Niya
Born in Sapporo, Niya grew up in Yagishiri Island, Hokkaido, He began learning the Tsugaru Shamisen at the age of 7 and became an apprentice of Toshihiko Sato, the third generation of the best Tsugaru Shamisen players in Japan.
In 2012 Niya won Second place in Class B and in 2013 First place in Class A in the infamous Tsugaru Shamisen Japan Championship held in Aomori. His energetic and emotional performances convey the beauty, power and essence of Japanese Traditional music to people all over the world. Fittingly,`NIYA` has performed internationally not only thruout Japan but New York's Carnegie Hall Dalongdong Baoan Temple in Taiwan, the Republic of Turkey, Russia and Thailand.
As is the Japanese way, Niya takes great pride in teaching his apprentices the knowledge and musical passion of Master Sato. As an educator for high school students in the Sapporo area, he enjoys sharing the traditonal charm and the infinite possibilities of Tsugaru Shamisen with the next generation of musicians.. He continues to perform and expand his audience on a regular basis in live houses and clubs to challenge the traditions and explore the novel possibilities of the Shamisen.
Niya has done numerous collaborations for a variety of clients:
including DJs, Fashion Shows and Brass Bands.. Some notable performances are:
USA — Carnegie Hall ( played as a Goodwill Ambassador to US and Japan)
Thailand — 2015-2019 Thai World Expo as Guest performer
China— Taiwan performed at Baoan Temple as a Goodwill Ambassador for China and Japan
Turkey - Invited by Kayseri School
Singapore — Performed for Hokkaido Festival
Vietnam — Promotion for Hokkaido
China- Harbin Department of Commerce of Heilonjing Province and Matsuyuki Department store.
Russia— Russia and Japan Art Festival 2019
Niya is currently a major force of the Convergence team.