Japan Society Presents SHOMYO: Buddhist Ritual Chant and Spiral Mandala Ceremony, February 24- February 27

Japan Society presents Shomyo: Buddhist Ritual Chant - Spiral Mandala Ceremony, a theatrical audio experience accompanied by innovative, hypnotizing, abstract visuals. Audience members will sit on cushions placed on the stage floor, then be transported into a state of meditative contemplation through the pre-recorded chants of Shomyo No Kai. This on-site performance promises to engages all the senses.

Believed to have originated in India, shomyo is a ritual form of Buddhist chant that traveled along the Silk Road to China, eventually reaching Japan in the sixth century. For this one-of-a-kind in-person performance, Brooklyn-based media designer Tei Blow will transform Japan Society's stage into an immersive soundscape featuring the ethereal voices of Shomyo no Kai-Voices of a Thousand Years, a group of two dozen priests from the esoteric Shingon and Tendai sects. Composer Yu Kuwabara's shomyo piece Spiral Mandala Ceremony, inspired by ancient mandalas, merges with Blow's visuals and Shomyo No Kai's vocals to create an ever-shifting environment with dreamlike power.

Responsible socially-distanced spacing for Spiral Mandala Ceremony dictates limited seating and a maximum of only 30 tickets available for each performance. To accommodate considerable interest, Japan Society has numerous dates to choose from, as follows:

• Thursday, Thursday, February 24 - Shows at 6 pm and 8 pm
• Friday, February 25 - Shows at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm
• Saturday, February 26 - Shows at 2 pm, 4 pm, 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm
• Sunday, February 27 - Shows at 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm and 7 pm

All sessions will take place in-person at Japan Society, located at 333 East 47th Street, between First and Second Avenues, accessible by the 4/5/6 trains at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E train at Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street.

Tickets to all dates are available now for Japan Society members and go on sale to the general public on Thursday, February 3. Tickets will be available online at: https://www.japansociety.org/arts-and-culture/performances/shomyo-buddhist-mandala-ceremony.

More information at: https://www.japansociety.org/arts-and-culture/performances/shomyo-buddhist-mandala-ceremony.