riley lee | sound of bamboo

CHRISTOPHER BLASDEL
Christopher Blasdel, born in Texas, began the shakuhachi and studies of Japanese music in 1972 with shakuhachi master, Living NAtional Treasure Goro Yamaguchi. He received a teaching license and the professional name "Yohmei" from Yamaguchi in 1984. At the same time, he completed graduate work in ethnomusicology at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. A permanent resident of Japan, Blasdel maintains a balance between traditional shakuhachi music, modern compositions and cross-genre work with a great variety of well-known musicians, dancers, poets, and painters, both Western and Eastern. Blasdel's award winning book, The Single Tone, A Personal Journey into Shakuhachi Music, originally written in Japanese, was recently published in English.

STEVE CASANO
Steven Casano received a B.M. in piano from the Crane School of Music and Masters degrees in ethnomusicology and academic librarianship from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 1999, he was the recipient of the Japanese Ministry of Education scholarship where he studied shakuhachi with Ishikawa Toshimitsu and attended meetings of the Shakuhachi Kenkyuukai with Tsukitani Tsuneko at Osaka Gedai. In 2000, Steven was granted his Jun-shihan license from Yokoyama Katsuya and Ishikawa Toshimitsu and in 2001 his shakuhachi playing was featured on the soundtrack for the documentary, "Aloha Akebono." Steven's shakuhachi teachers in Hawaii have been Robert Herr and Riley Lee and he is currently on the piano faculty of the Punahou Music School.

TERUO FURUYA
Teruo Furuya became a disciple of Katsuya Yokoyama in 1969.
He graduated from the Tokyo Gakugei University.
In 1971, he passed the NHK Tradetional Japanese Music Audition.
Teruo won the Third Prize and the Special Prize for his performance in the Second Pan Music Festival Competition in 1979.
He toured in concert in Holland with Ondeko-za as a guest player in 1981
In 1988, he performed on the Friendship Mission Concert Tour to Turkey as a guest player. He also toured in concert to Syria, Tunisia and Morocco with Katsuya Yokoyama, under the auspices of the Japan Foundation in 1991.
In 1994, he collaborated as planner, manager and player in staging "The International Shakuhachi Music Festival in Bisei. This was the first international festival for the shakuhachi.

ROBERT HERR
Robert began his study of shakuhachi in Hawaii from 1976 with John Neptune and Grand Master Riley Lee. In 1989 he went to Japan to study with Teruo Furuya and Grand Master Katsuya Yokoyama where he earned his jun shihan (associate master) certificate. He received his shihan (master) certificate in 1998.
Robert has released two CDs, Pathway (traditional Zen shakuhachi music) and Pathway II (modern compostions featuring duets with a diverse range of instruments from cello, indonesian clempung/zither, kalimba, steel drums, American Indian flute, ukulele, bass, guitar. banjo, and bamboo stamping tubes).
Based in Honolulu where he is both a teacher and performer, Robert has appeared on TV and radio—where his original music can be heard Sunday evenings opening for "Stories on the Wind".

KAORU KAKIZAKAI
Kaoru Kakizakai graduated Aoyama Gakuin University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Physics. He studied shakuhachi with Katsuya Yokoyama.
He received First Prize in the Shakuhachi Section at the Third Nagatani Kengyo Memorial, National Japanese Music Competition.
He has performed Toru Takemitsu’s ÅgNovember StepsÅh with the NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit and Hiroyuki Iwaki, and with the St Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia conducted by Akira Naito.

MEGUMI KAKIZAKAI
Megumi Kakizakai started to play the Koto at the age of three.
She graduated from the NHK Traditional Music Conservatory. She passed the 8th Koto Music competition in 2001. Megumi participated in 3rd, 4th and 5th ralian Shakuhachi Festivals as both tutor and performer. She also participated in the 1st Canadian Shakuhachi Festival last year.

RILEY LEE
Riley Lee began shakuhachi in Japan in 1970, and began wadaiko in 1973 with the group now called Kodo. He studied with Chikuho Sakai II from 1971 until 1984 and with Katsuya Yokoyama since 1985. In 1980, he became the first non-Japanese shakuhachi to achieve the rank of dai shihan (Grand Master).
Riley has a MA (ethnomusicology, University of Hawai’i) and a PhD (musicology, Sydney University), both on the shakuhachi. He performs and teaches extensively worldwide and has over 50 recordings on five labels. Riley co-founded Chikuho Ryû Hawai’i in 1980 and the Australian Shakuhachi Society in 1992 with Patricia Lee, and co-founded TaikOz (Japanese Festival Drums) with Ian Cleworth in 1996. In late 2003, he was Visiting Fellow at Princeton University, New Jersey, as a guest of the Comparative Literature department.

DARIN MIYASHIRO
Darin Miyashiro was born and raised in Hawaii. He was introduced to the koto in 1989 during a study-abroad program at Waseda University in Tokyo. He studied formally under Kazue Sawai at the Sawai Koto Academy in Tokyo. Darin currently teaches koto and assists with the gagaku ensemble at the University of Hawaii.

STAN RICHARDSON
Mr. Richardson has studied the Japanese flute for over twenty years and travels extensively as a practitioner and teacher of the shakuhachi flute as meditation. He has recorded with the Turtle Creek Chorale and tours regularly around the United States. He has also performed throughout Japan with members of the Ki-Sui-An Shakuhachi Dojo. Stan currently resides in Dallas, Texas, where he teaches shakuhachi. His recording, Shakuhachi Meditation Music has become one of the best selling shakuhachi CDs in the USA.

		HAWAII SHAKUHACHI FESTIVAL 2006

		HSF06 TUTORS CHRISTOPHER BLASDEL Christopher Blasdel, born in Texas, began the shakuhachi and studies of Japanese music in 1972 with shakuhachi master, Living NAtional Treasure Goro Yamaguchi. He received a teaching license and the professional name "Yohmei" from Yamaguchi in 1984. At the same time, he completed graduate work in ethnomusicology at Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. A permanent resident of Japan, Blasdel maintains a balance between traditional shakuhachi music, modern compositions and cross-genre work with a great variety of well-known musicians, dancers, poets, and painters, both Western and Eastern. Blasdel's award winning book, The Single Tone, A Personal Journey into Shakuhachi Music, originally written in Japanese, was recently published in English. STEVE CASANO Steven Casano received a B.M. in piano from the Crane School of Music and Masters degrees in ethnomusicology and academic librarianship from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 1999, he was the recipient of the Japanese Ministry of Education scholarship where he studied shakuhachi with Ishikawa Toshimitsu and attended meetings of the Shakuhachi Kenkyuukai with Tsukitani Tsuneko at Osaka Gedai. In 2000, Steven was granted his Jun-shihan license from Yokoyama Katsuya and Ishikawa Toshimitsu and in 2001 his shakuhachi playing was featured on the soundtrack for the documentary, "Aloha Akebono." Steven's shakuhachi teachers in Hawaii have been Robert Herr and Riley Lee and he is currently on the piano faculty of the Punahou Music School. TERUO FURUYA Teruo Furuya became a disciple of Katsuya Yokoyama in 1969. He graduated from the Tokyo Gakugei University. In 1971, he passed the NHK Tradetional Japanese Music Audition. Teruo won the Third Prize and the Special Prize for his performance in the Second Pan Music Festival Competition in 1979. He toured in concert in Holland with Ondeko-za as a guest player in 1981 In 1988, he performed on the Friendship Mission Concert Tour to Turkey as a guest player. He also toured in concert to Syria, Tunisia and Morocco with Katsuya Yokoyama, under the auspices of the Japan Foundation in 1991. In 1994, he collaborated as planner, manager and player in staging "The International Shakuhachi Music Festival in Bisei. This was the first international festival for the shakuhachi. ROBERT HERR Robert began his study of shakuhachi in Hawaii from 1976 with John Neptune and Grand Master Riley Lee. In 1989 he went to Japan to study with Teruo Furuya and Grand Master Katsuya Yokoyama where he earned his jun shihan (associate master) certificate. He received his shihan (master) certificate in 1998. Robert has released two CDs, Pathway (traditional Zen shakuhachi music) and Pathway II (modern compostions featuring duets with a diverse range of instruments from cello, indonesian clempung/zither, kalimba, steel drums, American Indian flute, ukulele, bass, guitar. banjo, and bamboo stamping tubes). Based in Honolulu where he is both a teacher and performer, Robert has appeared on TV and radio—where his original music can be heard Sunday evenings opening for "Stories on the Wind". KAORU KAKIZAKAI Kaoru Kakizakai graduated Aoyama Gakuin University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Physics. He studied shakuhachi with Katsuya Yokoyama. He received First Prize in the Shakuhachi Section at the Third Nagatani Kengyo Memorial, National Japanese Music Competition. He has performed Toru Takemitsu’s ÅgNovember StepsÅh with the NHK Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit and Hiroyuki Iwaki, and with the St Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia conducted by Akira Naito. MEGUMI KAKIZAKAI Megumi Kakizakai started to play the Koto at the age of three. She graduated from the NHK Traditional Music Conservatory. She passed the 8th Koto Music competition in 2001. Megumi participated in 3rd, 4th and 5th ralian Shakuhachi Festivals as both tutor and performer. She also participated in the 1st Canadian Shakuhachi Festival last year. RILEY LEE Riley Lee began shakuhachi in Japan in 1970, and began wadaiko in 1973 with the group now called Kodo. He studied with Chikuho Sakai II from 1971 until 1984 and with Katsuya Yokoyama since 1985. In 1980, he became the first non-Japanese shakuhachi to achieve the rank of dai shihan (Grand Master). Riley has a MA (ethnomusicology, University of Hawai’i) and a PhD (musicology, Sydney University), both on the shakuhachi. He performs and teaches extensively worldwide and has over 50 recordings on five labels. Riley co-founded Chikuho Ryû Hawai’i in 1980 and the Australian Shakuhachi Society in 1992 with Patricia Lee, and co-founded TaikOz (Japanese Festival Drums) with Ian Cleworth in 1996. In late 2003, he was Visiting Fellow at Princeton University, New Jersey, as a guest of the Comparative Literature department. DARIN MIYASHIRO Darin Miyashiro was born and raised in Hawaii. He was introduced to the koto in 1989 during a study-abroad program at Waseda University in Tokyo. He studied formally under Kazue Sawai at the Sawai Koto Academy in Tokyo. Darin currently teaches koto and assists with the gagaku ensemble at the University of Hawaii. STAN RICHARDSON Mr. Richardson has studied the Japanese flute for over twenty years and travels extensively as a practitioner and teacher of the shakuhachi flute as meditation. He has recorded with the Turtle Creek Chorale and tours regularly around the United States. He has also performed throughout Japan with members of the Ki-Sui-An Shakuhachi Dojo. Stan currently resides in Dallas, Texas, where he teaches shakuhachi. His recording, Shakuhachi Meditation Music has become one of the best selling shakuhachi CDs in the USA. [Jump to top of page]
		^TOP^
© sound of bamboo 2003 \| all rights reserved