Kodō Araki VI, the sixth generation in one of the most prominent and influential lineages in the world of shakuhachi music, makes his New York debut in this concert with Ralph Samuelson.

KODŌ ARAKI VI.  There are few sounds more quintessentially Japanese than that of the shakuhachi, an end-blown bamboo flute. Kodō Araki the 6th is a living connection to this music dating back to the mid-18th century. For the Araki family, the shakuhachi is more than a musical instrument; it is a conduit handed down through his family from father to son for generations. It is as much a tool for artistic expression as it is for cultural storytelling. Since his debut in Japan in 1988, Kodō the 6th has served as an ambassador for Kinko- ryū, a primary branch of shakuhachi study, through education and performance. Araki played for the 1200th Anniversary of the renown Kiyomizu Temple’s Kannon Bodhisattva in Kyoto; was a featured soloist with the Seattle Symphony; performed at the Newport Folk Festival;  and was invited to participate in the Independence Day Celebration in Mexico City and the Future of Music Coalition in Rio de Janeiro. His CD Hankyō and further information can be found at www.arakikodo.com

 Ralph Samuelson is a shakuhachi performer and teacher based in New York. He was trained in the classical tradition of the Kinko School of shakuhachi by the late Living National Treasure Goro Yamaguchi, Kodō Araki V, and Shūdō Yamato and has performed traditional and contemporary music throughout the world. He was the shakuhachi soloist in the New York City Ballet production of Jerome Robbins’ “Watermill” with music by Teiji Ito and has recorded for Innova, Tzadik, CBS Masterworks, and other labels. Ralph has been a periodic visiting artist at the Lou Harrison House in Joshua Tree; CA;  is a regular guest artist with the Iwate Art Project in Japan; is an international advisor for the Seoul Institute of the Arts in Korea; and is the former director of the Asian Cultural Council.  http://youtube.com/@shakuhachihermit

The program emphasizes solos and duos from the repertoire of traditional shakuhachi honkyoku, pieces developed primarily in the 17th-19th centuries within a sect of Zen Buddhist monks who blew the bamboo flute as a form of spiritual practice. Some contemporary works for the instrument are included as well.

Araki: www.arakikodo.com; Samuelson: http://youtube.com/@shakuhachihermit