Celebrating the Music of James Nyoraku Schlefer

Kammerraku Encore

Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Tenri Cultural Institute – 43A W. 13th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)

Admission: $25 in Advance | $30 at the Door

Kyo-Shin-An Arts and Arts at TCI present Kammerraku Encore, KSA's first celebration of the music of shakuhachi Grand Master James Nyoraku Schlefer.

This program of audience favorites features the always extraordinary Arianna Quartet and the world premiere of Schlefer’s delightfully irreverent Bamboo Dances for shakuhachi and string quartet. To purchase tickets, please visit Schlefer’s website.

Performers

• Sumie Kaneko – Shamisen and voice

• Yoko Reikano Kimura – Koto and voice

• James Nyoraku Schlefer – Shakuhachi

• Arianna String Quartet
  John McGrosso and Jane Price, violins; Joanna Mendoza, viola; Kurt Baldwin, cello

PROGRAM

• Moon through the Pines by James Nyoraku Schlefer 
  koto, shamisen, shakuhachi

• Bamboo Dances by James Nyoraku Schlefer – World Premiere
  shakuhachi and string quartet
  Moveoverture
  Jubislidy (aka Slickback)
  Valse Macabre
  Chacachacarera
  Bogakuraku
  Jiggy Gigue
  Galoopy
  Interludy
  Racherachenitsa

• Tommy – a musical fantasy based on a true story by James Nyoraku Schlefer 
  shakuhachi, koto, shamisen and string quartet

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Valentine’s Shakuhachi with Piano & Cello

Saturday, February 15 from 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Saint John’s in the Village – 218 W. 11th Street

Admission: $20

Show your love for music at this post-Valentine’s Day concert. Shakuhachi Grand Master James Nyoraku Schlefer will perform with cellist Sahara von Hattenberger and Joanne Kang on piano with music by Miki Minoru, Marty Regan, Justin Jay Hines, Randall Woolf, and Schlefer himself. The one-hour concert with its distinctive combination of instruments features a wonderful variety of contemporary musical styles including minimalist, romantic, jazzy, and impressionistic.

Program

• Forest Whispers by Marty Regan

• Bow Down by Randall Woolf

• Aki no Kyoku by Miki Minoru

• Sidewalk Dances by James Nyoraku Schlefer

• Original Sound by Justin Jay Hines

Please visit Eventbrite to purchase tickets. For more information about Schlefer, please visit his website.

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KAMMERRAKU PROMISE

Arts at TCI and Kyo-Shin-An Arts Present Kammerraku Promise

Sunday, October 8 from 4:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

Tenri Cultural Institute – 43A W. 13th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)

Admission: $25 in Advance ($30 at the Door)

Celebrate the 15th anniversary season of Kyo-Shin-Ann Arts!

Kyo-Shin-An Arts and the Cassatt String Quartet are together again, performing a special program of contemporary chamber music by three extraordinary Japanese composers, including a second commission to American Prize winner, Masatora Goya.

Program

• “Tree of Life” (2023) by Masatora Goya for shakuhachi and string quartet (World premiere)

• “Ai for Shakuhachi and Strings” (1978) by Minoru Miki

• “Between the Leaves” (2017) by Yoko Sato for shakuhachi, koto, and string quartet

Performers

• Yoko Reikano Kimura – Koto

• James Nyoraku Schlefer – Shakuhachi

• Cassatt String Quartet – Muneko Otani and Jennifer Leshnower, violins; Rosemary Nelis, viola; Gwen Krosnick, cello

To purchase tickets, please visit Kyo-Shin-An’s Eventbrite page.

About Kyo-Shin-An Arts

Kyo-Shin-An Arts brings Japanese instruments—specifically koto, shakuhachi, and shamisen—to Western classical music by working with established chamber ensembles, orchestras, and great individual performers to bridge two musical cultures. It introduces composers, performers, and audiences to the beauty and versatility of Japanese instruments and the virtuosity of the musicians who play them. Concerts feature a blend of KSA commissions; other World, US, and New York premieres; and traditional and contemporary music for Japanese instruments and Western repertoire.

About Cassatt String Quartet

Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the Cassatt String Quartet has performed to critical acclaim around the world since its founding in 1985, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, the Kennedy Center, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Centro National de las Artes, Maeda Hall, and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The group’s discography includes more than forty recordings, spanning the Koch, Naxos, New World, Point, CRI, Tzadik, and Albany labels—including three discs that have been named by Alex Ross to his “10 Best Classical Recordings” feature in The New Yorker.

Arts at TCI and Kyo-Shin-An Arts Present

The excellent acoustics and intimate gallery setting of the Tenri Cultural Institute create a superb setting for listening to chamber music and offer audiences the rare opportunity to hear both traditional and contemporary music from two cultures in a setting similar to the music rooms of the courts and castles of both Europe and Japan. More than 300 years of chamber music tradition are presented throughout this series. Performances feature piano trios and string quartets from the great composers of Europe; music from Japan’s Edo period written for shamisen, koto, and shakuhachi; and contemporary music combining Western and Japanese instruments.

Support JapanCulture•NYC by becoming a member! For $5 a month, you’ll help maintain the high quality of our site while we continue to showcase and promote the activities of our vibrant community. Please click here to begin your membership today!