Meet the Teachers
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芦垣 皋盟 Ashigaki Kōmei
Ashigaki Kōmei studied Kinko-ryū shakuhachi under Master Tanaka Yasumune of Chikumeisha from age of 10. Later he graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Music, Department of Traditional Japanese Music, majoring in Shakuhachi (Kinko-ryū). During his studies, he learned under Yamaguchi Gorō (Living National Treasure), Yamamoto Hozan (Living National Treasure), and Kawase Junsuke.…
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神 令 Rei Jin
Born in Tokyo in 1980, and being the grandson of Jin Nyodo, who compiled classical honkyoku pieces, Rei Jin was immersed in Japan’s classical performing arts from childhood. He studied shakuhachi under his father Jin Nyodo, as well as under Aoki Reibo, Kawase Junsuke, Yamamoto Hozan, and Tokumaru Jumei. Rei completed the undergraduate course…
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Horatio Curti
Horacio Curti studied the shakuhachi in Japan with Kakizakai Kaoru, and there he received his shakuhachi shihan from Yokoyama Katsuya. Specialising in KSK koten honkyoku, later also got involved with Free Improvised Music and Western Classical Contemporary Music. He…
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Kiku Day
Kiku Day is an ethnomusicologist and shakuhachi player. She was the prime force behind the creation of the European Shakuhachi Society and the European Shakuhachi Summer School in 2006. She served 10 years as the chairperson for the European…
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Yerasimos Dimovasilis
Yerasimos Dimovasilis has been involved in music from an early age. In 2002, he began studying the shakuhachi and soon specialized in the traditional honkyoku repertoire. He studied with teachers such as Kiku Day, Tony Clark, Kaoru Kakizakai and…
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Jim Franklin
Jim Franklin is an Australian composer/performer of shakuhachi. He encountered the shakuhachi during musical studies in Australia, Germany and Netherlands. After learning it with Dr Riley Lee, Furuya Teruo and Yokoyama Katsuya, he received the title shihan in 1996…
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Philip Horan
Philip Suimei Horan studied music at Maynooth University. After graduation, he worked as a flute and recorder teacher and performer. He began learning the shakuhachi in 1996. He spent two years in Japan studying the Tozan-ryu repertoire with Hanaoka…
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Thorsten Knaub
Thorsten Knaub is an artist, digital filmmaker and shakuhachi player/maker based in London and Paris. He holds a Master in Fine Art Media from the Slade School of Art in London and has presented his artworks and projects internationally.…
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Gunnar Jinmei Linder
Gunnar Jinmei Linder began studying shakuhachi in Japan in 1985 with Yamaguchi Goro (designated Living National Treasure). He obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree as a soloist from Tokyo University of the Arts 1997, and was awarded shihan…
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Véronique Piron
Véronique Piron, originally French flutist, is a shakuhachi performer and teacher in the style of Yokoyama Katsuya (KSK) who awarded her a shihan licence in 2002 in Japan whilst a recipient of a Lavoisier research grant. She is a…
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Emmanuelle Rouaud
Emmanuelle Rouaud is a French musician specialising in shakuhachi, silver and baroque flute. She holds, among others, the certificates Prix de la Ville de Paris and Prix du CRR de Paris et CRR Cergy-Pontoise in early music, and teaches…
Special Guest
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日原 史絵 Fumie Hihara
An accomplished koto and shamisen player, Fumie Hihara offers a groundbreaking interpretation that explores the depths of traditional Japanese instruments. While her performances honor their heritage, they daringly push boundaries, merging innovation with flexibility – a combination that has garnered widespread acclaim. By age 17, she set a record as the youngest koto player to…
ESS Commission Athens 2026:
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Ramon Humet
Ramon Humet started studying shakuhachi in 2004 with Horacio Curti. He continues the in-depth study of the koten honkyoku repertoire with Kakizakai Kaoru sensei. He is also interested in contemporary music for shakuhachi, and gives concerts with the pianist Sílvia Vidal, where they bring together the traditional repertoire for shakuhachi, the classical repertoire for piano, and contemporary music…
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