Kanreki Surprise
KSA's concert celebration of James Nyoraku Schlefer's 60th birthday, honoring him as both a performer and a composer. An evening of surprises – the content a secret from James – the program will include a tribute of musical vignettes (30-60 sec. each) being written for the occasion by over 20 of KSA's commissioned and featured composers. The concert will also feature James in a brief solo performance of his honkyoku "Brooklyn Sanya" (a composition with nearly 300,000 youtube plays).
Please share the celebration – join us to find out who is performing and what they will play!
SHAKUHACHI: HEAR – WRITE – PLAY
An event for COMPOSERS and the musically and intellectually curious! Hear the music, write the notes, try the instrument.
James Nyoraku Schlefer, will lead an event that focuses on the performance, composition, and practice of shakuhachi. The program will begin with brief solo performances of traditional and contemporary repertoire for the shakuhachi. It will then feature a discussion and Q&A with a panel of composers, all of whom were previously commissioned by KSA and have already grappled with writing for the shakuhachi. Mr. Schlefer will play selections from each composer's work and ask each to consider the challenges and expectations they may have had when writing it. The final component of the program will offer everyone in the audience the chance to play a shakuhachi – with instruction from members of Nyoraku sensei's teaching studio.
COMPOSER PANEL: VICTORIA BOND, MATTHEW HARRIS, KENTO IWASAKI, JAMES MATHESON and PAUL MORAVEC
Kammerraku Snow
The Cassatt String Quartet; Yoko Reikano Kimura, koto; James Nyoraku Schlefer, shakuhachi; and Juliet Schlefer, soprano will perform commissioned sextets for shakuhachi and koto by Somei Satoh and Yoko Sato plus a sextet for shakuhachi and soprano by Ciara Cornelius. The Cassatt will also premiere new works by Sebastion Currier and Tina Davidson.
Kammerraku Moment
Duke University's Ciompi Quartet with James Nyoraku Schlefer, shakuhachi. Featuring KSA commissioned quintets by Charles Porter – "Moon Sky" (2010) and Mark Nowakowski – "The 26" (2015), plus Beethoven's Quartet No. 14, op 131.
Sakura Tea
A program of traditional and contemporary music for Japanese instruments and cello featuring Yoko Reikano Kimura, koto and shamisen; Sumie Kaneko, koto and shamisen; James Nyoraku Schlefer, shakuhachi and Hikaru Tamaki, cello. Including Daron Hagen's "Appassionata" for koto and cello.