THE SHAKUHACHI 5 To Appear Live At Japan Society In May
Featuring Akihisa Kominato, Akihito Obama, Ken-Ichi Tajima, Kizan Kawamura, and Reison Kuroda.
By: A.A. Cristi Apr. 10, 2025
Japan Society will present The Shakuhachi 5: Shakuhachi Vogue - A Visual Concert on Friday, May 16 at 7:30PM at Japan Society. Tickets to this live performance are available now for Japan Society members ($32) and for the general public ($43).
Five of today's leading shakuhachi masters join forces as the traditional instrument supergroup The Shakuhachi 5 for their North American debut concert. This pioneering ensemble has quickly become the face of shakuhachi music in the 21st century, spearheading the future of the traditional Japanese bamboo flute while showcasing the instrument's unique dynamism.
Performing a 400 year span of repertoire - including classic shakuhachi music reimagined for quintet, a composition by John Cage, a work written for the ensemble by Dai Fujikura, and a world premiere commission from New York-based Rome Prize winner Lisa Bielawa - these five shakuhachi rock stars aspire to boost the image of their primitive bamboo woodwind into a trend-setter's instrument. In collaboration with video and sound designer Tei Blow, the group's music will be synced onstage with a protean video collage of ukiyo-e from the Edo period, featuring notable woodblock prints provided from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's permanent collection. These accompanying backdrop prints recall the shakuhachi-wielding vagabonds and wandering Zen Buddhist monks that are the band's historic musical predecessors.
In sync with this one-night-only performance, Japan Society will host additional shakuhachi-related events, including a Build Your Own Shakuhachi! Crafting Workshop, led by Perry Yung, on May 4; and several participatory workshops with members of The Shakuhachi 5, including a Shakuhachi Workshop for Composers and two individual "Shakuhachi Bootcamp" masterclasses, on May 17.
Visit japansociety.org/performing-arts for more information or contact our box office at 212-715-1258. The box office is open Monday through Friday, 11:00am to 6:00pm.
Japan Society is located at 333 East 47 Street, between First and Second Avenue, accessible via the 4/5/6 train at Grand Central Station or the E train at Lexington and 53 Street.
Following this performance, Japan Society's 2024-2025 Performing Arts Season culminates with the music series Shun Ishiwaka: Jazz Transcending on June 5 and 7. Over two contrasting programs, the rapidly transcendent star percussionist and musician Shun Ishiwaka takes centerstage for American audiences. More details are forthcoming.
Japan Society is the premier organization connecting Japanese arts, culture, business, and society with audiences in NYC and around the world. In over 100 years of work, we've inspired generations by establishing ourselves as pioneers in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture, business and policy, as well as education between Japan and the U.S. From our New York headquarters, a landmark building designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura that opened to the public in 1971, we look forward to the years ahead.
Since the inception of the Japan Society Performing Arts Program in 1953, Japan Society has introduced nearly 1,000 of Japan's finest performing arts programs to an extensive American audience. Programs range from the traditional arts of noh, kyogen, bunraku and kabuki to cutting-Edge Theater, dance and music. The Program also commissions new works to non-Japanese artists, produces national tours, organizes residency programs for American and Japanese artists and develops and distributes educational programs.
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