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August 11, 2004
Fourth Annual World Shakuhachi Festival
photo by Kayo
There was so much great activity at the Fourth Annual World Shakuhachi Festival in NYC this year. Much kudos to Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin for producing it this monster event. Aside from the concerts, workshops and cool people, the best thing was meeting Monty Levenson and Ken Lacosse. I've heard great things about them from mutual friends and aquaintances. Ken even gave me a stock piece of 1.8 a few years ago. It was great playing their flutes.
As a maker, an event like this is invaluable. I got a chance to hang out with seven makers for four days. Murai Eigoro, whom I met in Japan last year, invited me to his place in Japan to pick bamboo this winter.
Chistopher Blasdel is trying out an Eigoro shakuhachi. David Sawyer is in the back and furthest back is Jim Schlefer.
John Neptune's table was across from mine. I met John in Japan last year too. I wanted to build a dome house after visiting his place. Dan Meyers looks on.
My brother Peter picks up his auction winnings from Ronnie at the final concert.
Kurita Masami, a shakuhachi maker, checks out an Imovie on my laptop. He knows my shakuhachi Sensei in Japan, Kinya Sogawa. I made an Imovie that I used in performance with Kinya and Laurie Sogawa. A lot of people really dug the bamboo harvesting section ( ouch!).
Sunday of that week, I had to skip out early from the vending section to do a shakuhachi workshop at the Tibetan Museum in Staten Island.
Everyone got to make their own PVC flute. They even got a sound right away!
All in all, a great week in NYC!
Posted by Perry Yung at August 11, 2004 12:02 AM