Been road tripping down the California coastline this week. Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay, Seaside, Big Sur and Los Angeles. Man, what a beautiful state with lots of bamboo!

Here, Jet is inspecting these large pieces in a Venice Beach Alley. He decided the walls were too thin and would not make good shakuhachi.

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Hello all, we’ve been traveling through California and having the most amazing adventure. I’ve been noticing a lot of bamboo in here in the city of San Francisco (more than in New York City but that is rapidly changing). The first home we stayed at in the Mission Delores district had a few stalks growing in the back yard. They were not big enough to make flutes with, but the presence of bamboo alone enriched my stay as it’s always wonderful blowing shakuhachi amongst the leaves. I’ve been working with bamboo even before I was a flute maker using it in theatrical set designs and other art making such as paint brush making. I even used bamboo as a subject matter in my visual art days. Now that I have a moment to reflect, I can see how the groundwork for shakuhachi making all happened organically.

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Hi all, The shop is now closed officially until I return to NYC on Aug 5th.
Since I will be on the road, my internet access will be intermittent. However, please do feel free to inquire about anything and I’ll reply as soon as possible. I’ll try to post a blog or two until then. Have a great day!

There is a myth in Asia where one may have great fortune or luck bestowed upon her when rubbing the Smiling Buddha’s belly. I saw this one on the grounds of Zen Mountain Monastery a few months back while leading a shakuhachi making retreat. As I walked up the path to start the morning, I noticed his bright smile. I knelt down, offered a prayer and rubbed his belly. I never expected any good luck or fortune as my life is a miracle every waking moment. But, I just held a going-out-of-town sale and every flute sold. I don’t know if it’s good luck or just another miracle. A deep bow of gratitude to all my friends.

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Hi All, Sorry for the last minute notice. Things are always a bit hectic around here. I was invited to play in James Nyoraku Schlefer’s Shakuhachi Solstice Celebration

Traditional solo pieces from the centuries old Zen Buddhist repertoire will be performed as well as modern music for shakuhachi choir. The concert showcases Grand Master Riley Lee and Ralph Samuelson. There will also be original music by James Nyoraku Schlefer, including a world premiere and works for the ensemble of eight shakuhachi players.

More information on tickets and directions here: http://artsat.tenri.org/currentseason.shtml#shakuhachi_solstice

Last week I posted that I was accepting repairs until I leave and was somehow not surprised that a number of flutes came in. I am now fully booked and can not accept anymore repairs until I return around around August 5th, but please do feel free to contact me if your flute needs attention. The most important thing is to store it properly until I can receive it.

Each process is different. That is the joy of working on a zen instrument. Each piece of bamboo, each maker, each repair. It’s like each breath we take. It can be redundant, but when exercised mindfully becomes a unique and miraculous, life sustaining moment in time.

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I recently made an announcement of my travel plans this summer and already a few repairs came in. I will be traveling from June 29 - Aug 7th. If you need a repair, contact me ASAP as I will not be accepting any shipments after June 17th. (this Friday). This one is a 2.1 and needs 15 inlays. A repair like this is quite time consuming as inlays require the cutting precision of a surgeon. And, with the added urushi work in the bore to seal the cracked plaster, it will take nearly two weeks to complete.

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The reviews are coming in.
“Maura Nguyen Donohue’s genius with her Maura Nguyen Donohue / InMixedCompany was to resuscitate the ‘social issues’ genre and infuse it not just with artistic integrity but entertainment and cross-genre originality and fluidity. ....This starts from the moment veteran Slant virtuosos Rick Ebihara and Perry Yung enter as supposed sailors just arriving in town as well as at the show before curtain. As with her earlier “Lotus Blossom Itch,” the Slant guys do help to leaven the message and are thus part of the reason Donohue is able to make social issues / message work as theater.” - the Dance Insider

“Richard Ebihara, performing with Perry Yung and Miri Park, arranged seemingly disparate music into clever mash-ups that made sense.” - New York Times

Read the entire reviews:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/arts/dance/rebecca-stenn-and-maura-donohue-in-soaking-wet-series-review.html?_r=1&ref=dance
http://www.danceinsider.com/free/0524.html

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We’ve been having a lot of fun with some great audiences. Two more shows!

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Strictly a Female Female opens this week! Modern dance, electric guitars, drums, puppetry and shakuhachi. Come see the show!

May 19 - 22, 2011
Thursday - Saturday, 8:30pm and Sunday, 4:30pm
West End Theater - 263 West 86th Street

Soaking WET, is a series of choreographed evenings curated by David Parker
West End Theater is located on the 2nd fl. of Church of St. Paul & St. Anthony at B’way & 86th.

Admission: $20, $15 for students and artists.
Reservations: http://www.thebanggroup.com/wet.php

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