3rd. ANNUAL
JAPANESE TRADITIONAL MUSIC AND DANCE CONCERT

BIOGRAPHIES,

August 12, 2007

Nick Bellando

Nick made his own PVC Shakuhachi (rather poorly) sometime around 2001. He began studied with Patricia Reilley and a year later, in 2006, he began studying with Patricia's teacher, Barry Weiss, and his teacher, Suiko Takahashi He is figuring on moving to Japan upon graduation from Philadelphia Biblical University next May.

Dominic Shodo Cammarota

Dominic Shodo Cammarota http:www.tozanfew.com began Shakuhachi in 2002 and is a student of Sholom Shozan Gold, Tozan Shakuhachi USA. He holds the rank of Chuden in the Tozan Ryu. Dominc plays the Shakuhachi around New York City And will be appearing in the upcoming documentary called "Subway Busker," which will be released at the Sundance festival. He is the creator and web master of Shakuhachi New York http://www.shakuhachi-newyork.com, and the co-founder of the annual Japanese traditional music and dance festival in Central Park.

Sholom Shozan Gold

Sholom Shozan Gold Sholom Shozan Gold studied Shakuhachi in Japan from 1991 to 1996 under Yamamoto Bizan and received his Shihan teaching license from the Tozan Shakuhachi school based in Kyoto, Japan in 1998. He performs concerts and cultural events in the tri-state area, including Japan Society, Philadelphia Art Museum and SUNY. He is a certified Tozan Shakuhachi teacher and teaches in Manhattan. He is the cofounder of this festival and dedicates this festival to his teacher, Yamamoto Bizan.

Tozan Shakuhachi

The Tozan Shakuhachi school is the largest and most popular Shakuhachi school in Japan. Tozan Shakuhachi is notable for the fusing of Western structures and innovative techniques into the Shakuhachi tradition.

Masayo Ishigure

Masayo Ishigure began playing the koto and jiuta shamisen at the age of five in Gifu, Japan. After initial studies with Tadao and Kazue Sawai she Became a special research student in 1986 at the Sawai Koto Academy of Music.

Since 1992, Ms.Ishigure has been teaching koto and shamisen in the music department of Wesleyan University (CT) as an artist in residence where she formed the Wesleyan Koto Ensemble. She also offers private lessons as the only Sawai Koto and Shamisen Academy Instructor in the New York City and Washington DC area.

Ki Sui An Shakuhachi

Ki Sui An Shakuhachi Dojo was founded in 1973 by Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin. For 3 decades it has been the largest and most active Shakuhachi Dojo outside of Japan. It has 15 licensed teachers at this point.

Kyo-Shin-An Shakuhachi

Kyo-Shin-An Shakuhachi Dojo Kyo-Shin-An was founded by James Nyoraku Schlefer. Honkyoku lineage is from Jin Nyodo, which is primarily Meian ryu, and also includes Kinko and Kinpu ryu pieces.

Andrew Macomber

Andrew Macomber began his study of Shakuhachi one year ago, with Glenn Swann. In addition to Shakuhachi, he studies Japanese language and Zen.

Princeton Shakuhachi No Kai

Princeton Shakuhachi No Kai is an informal group of central Jersey area Shakuhachi Players who perform together at community events and open mikes from time to time.

Allyson Richmond

Allyson Richmond has been studying Shakuhachi for 20 years with Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin and Yoshio Kurahashi. She takes a traditional approach to the music and has a particular fondness for the subtleties and complex melodies of gaikyoku

Ryu Shu Taiko

Ryu Shu Taiko was founded in 1998 by Kyoshi Gerard Senese who is a director of Ryu Shu Kan Dojo of Farmingville, Long Island. The group entertains with their exciting blend of martial arts, folk dance & the Taiko drums. They have performed at many various events & festivals and their local school programs educate and entertain the children in Japanese culture.

Gary Sharp

Gary Sharp has been a musician since the age of 14. He started on drums and then guitar and music theory before discovering the Shakuhachi Upon hearing the Shakuhachi for the first time, he dropped all other instruments to study it exclusively. For the intervening 11 years, he has been as student of Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin and Yoshio Kurahashi. Gary describes himself as a traditionalist trying to open himself to the depth of meaning found in Shakuhachi honkyoku and sankyoku music

Daniel Nyohaku Soergel

Daniel Nyohaku Soergel After returning from a trip to Japan in 1988, Daniel Soergel began study of the Shakuhachi with Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin. Within a few years he was performing annually with the New York Sankyoku Kai chamber ensemble. He received his first Natori (teaching certification) in 1997 in the Kinko style. "Nyohaku" is a poetic name that can be translated as "like the essence of whiteness."

In 2003 he was honored to receive a full teaching license (Shi-han) from Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin. Mr. Soergel teaches Shakuhachi in his home in Brooklyn Heights, and is currently working with Tom Goodridge to bring the joys of nature, movement and music to inner city children through "Green Man," performances in community festivals.

Yoko Gaho Takahashi

She started learning Koto at age 7 with Master Yuko Ogura. She came to The U.S. in 1984 and continued Koto with Mrs. Fusako Yoshida and later with Mrs. Gashu Fujimatsu. She teaches Koto (Seiha Ikuta-ryu) at The Nippon Club in New York and also in Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Mutsumi Takamizu

Mutsumi Takamizu is a master in both the Koto and the Sangen (Shamisen) in the Miyagi Branch of the Ikuta School. She began her musical career at the age of 19 in Japan under the tutelage of Grand Master Yoshie Shino. She then continued her musical studies in New York with Grand Master Reiko Gasen Kamata. Mutsumi has performed in the New England including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Recital Hall, the Nippon Club, St. Peter's Church and the Japan Society.

She has also given lectures/demonstrations on the history of the Koto at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Morikami Museum in Florida. Currently, she is performing and teaching privately in New York.