James Nyoraku Schlefer
Encyclopedia
James Nyoraku Schlefer (Japanese
: ジェイムス 如楽 シュレファー), born 1956 in Brooklyn, New York, is a performer and teacher and composer of shakuhachi
in New York City. He received the Dai-Shi-Han (Grand Master) certificate in 2001, one of only a handful of non-Japanese to receive this high-level award. In 2008, he received his second Shi-Han certificate from Mujuan Dojo, in Kyoto. In Japan, Schlefer has worked with Reibo Aoki, Katsuya Yokoyama, Yoshio Kurahashi, Yoshinobu Taniguchi, and Kifu Mitsuhashi. His first teacher was Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
. He holds a Master’s degree in Western flute and musicology from Queens College and currently teaches music history courses at the City University of New York
.
ensemble of shakuhachi, koto
and shamisen
, and following the recital he was offered the chance to play the shakuhachi, and although he was a working professional silver flute player he was unable to produce a tone on the shakuhachi, spurring his interest and eventual devotion to the instrument.
Nyoraku Sensei is a Grand Master of the Jin Nyodo lineage, having learned from Kurahashi Yoshio, Mitsuhashi Kifu, Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin, and Keisuke Zenyoji, all of whose teachers learned from Jin Nyodo. Jin Sensei’s honkyoku repertoire draws from several traditional lines; Kinko ryu, Kinpu ryu, and Fuke Meian. In turn, Schlefer has taught and licenced several students, including Brian Tairaku Ritchie
.
As a composer, Schlefer has received numerous commissions and grants, including from Dancing in the Streets (with the support of the Mary Flagler Cary Trust Live Music for Dance Program), SONOS Chamber Orchestra, the Satori Chamber Ensemble, and PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER (with the support of the O’Donnell Green Foundation and the AMC Live Music for Dance Program).
In 2008, Schlefer founded Kyo-Shin-An Arts, a not-for-profit arts organization “dedicated to the appreciation and integration of Japanese musical instruments in Western classical music.” Kyo-Shin-An Arts commissions and produces new works and concerts that highlight the outstanding virtuosity of the koto, shakuhachi and shamisen.
Nyoraku Sensei’s dojo is in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Students learn in the Japanese style, facing the teacher and first singing then playing the music together. Historically, traditional music was taught entirely by rote, with the student copying everything the teacher played by ear. At Kyo-Shin-An, the spirit of this method is maintained but with contemporary modifications, such as using notation, and with comments and suggestions to improve playing.
In the course of study, students learn to play 41 pieces of honkyoku (Zen Buddhist traditional music), 45 sankyoku pieces (chamber music played with koto and shamisen), and numerous folk songs. Upon completing this curriculum, a licensing course (which involves playing the music upside down and “teaching” it to the teacher), and a public performance, students will earn a Jun-Shi-Han Associate certificate and receive a Japanese name.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: ジェイムス 如楽 シュレファー), born 1956 in Brooklyn, New York, is a performer and teacher and composer of shakuhachi
Shakuhachi
The is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of...
in New York City. He received the Dai-Shi-Han (Grand Master) certificate in 2001, one of only a handful of non-Japanese to receive this high-level award. In 2008, he received his second Shi-Han certificate from Mujuan Dojo, in Kyoto. In Japan, Schlefer has worked with Reibo Aoki, Katsuya Yokoyama, Yoshio Kurahashi, Yoshinobu Taniguchi, and Kifu Mitsuhashi. His first teacher was Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin is a noted shakuhachi player.He studied theology at the New School for Social Research, then went to Japan where he studied the shakuhachi, receiving the name Nyogetsu in 1975. By 2001 he received his Grand Master's license at the level of Kyu-Dan. and was given the...
. He holds a Master’s degree in Western flute and musicology from Queens College and currently teaches music history courses at the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
.
Education and Lineage
Schlefer was introduced to the shakuhachi in 1979, while working towards his Master’s degree in musicology. He attended a sankyokuSankyoku
Sankyoku is a form of Japanese chamber music played on the koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi, often with a vocal accompaniment .-See also:*Music of Japan*Koto *Shakuhachi*Shamisen*Kokyu...
ensemble of shakuhachi, koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
and shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
, and following the recital he was offered the chance to play the shakuhachi, and although he was a working professional silver flute player he was unable to produce a tone on the shakuhachi, spurring his interest and eventual devotion to the instrument.
Nyoraku Sensei is a Grand Master of the Jin Nyodo lineage, having learned from Kurahashi Yoshio, Mitsuhashi Kifu, Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin, and Keisuke Zenyoji, all of whose teachers learned from Jin Nyodo. Jin Sensei’s honkyoku repertoire draws from several traditional lines; Kinko ryu, Kinpu ryu, and Fuke Meian. In turn, Schlefer has taught and licenced several students, including Brian Tairaku Ritchie
Brian Ritchie
Brian Ritchie was the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Violent Femmes.In addition to his bass playing, Ritchie is proficient at the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute...
.
Performance career
Schlefer is a member of the Japanese music group Ensemble East, which performs traditional and modern music for Japanese instruments, including the shamisen and the koto. An educator as well as performer, his appearances include lectures about the origin, history, and development of Japanese music. Schlefer has been a soloist in several orchestral settings including the New York City Opera, Karl Jenkins’ Requiem, and others. He has performed and lectured at Duke University (in two, week-long artist residencies), and at the Juilliard School, Manhattan and Eastman Schools of Music, Vassar, Haverford, Brown, Union, Moravian, Colby, Colby-Sawyer, Williams and Hunter Colleges, and at music festivals in the U.S., South America, Asia and Europe.Composer
James Nyoraku Schlefer holds advanced degrees, and has years of performing experience, in two musical traditions. His original compositions bring these worlds together. Of particular interest to Schlefer is combining Japanese and Western instruments in new compositions that explore two sound worlds in a way that is exciting but not derivative, beautiful yet deeply respectful of both classic traditions.As a composer, Schlefer has received numerous commissions and grants, including from Dancing in the Streets (with the support of the Mary Flagler Cary Trust Live Music for Dance Program), SONOS Chamber Orchestra, the Satori Chamber Ensemble, and PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER (with the support of the O’Donnell Green Foundation and the AMC Live Music for Dance Program).
In 2008, Schlefer founded Kyo-Shin-An Arts, a not-for-profit arts organization “dedicated to the appreciation and integration of Japanese musical instruments in Western classical music.” Kyo-Shin-An Arts commissions and produces new works and concerts that highlight the outstanding virtuosity of the koto, shakuhachi and shamisen.
Educator
Schlefer is founder and head of the Kyo-Shin-An teaching studio in New York City. He has published books of traditional notation and written two etude books for shakuhachi technical development. he holds two Shi-Han (Master) certificates, and one Dai-Shi-Han (Grand Master) certificate, and is well respected as a teacher in both the U.S. and Japan. He has been passing on shakuhachi tradition for nearly twenty years and devotes many hours each week to teaching.Nyoraku Sensei’s dojo is in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Students learn in the Japanese style, facing the teacher and first singing then playing the music together. Historically, traditional music was taught entirely by rote, with the student copying everything the teacher played by ear. At Kyo-Shin-An, the spirit of this method is maintained but with contemporary modifications, such as using notation, and with comments and suggestions to improve playing.
In the course of study, students learn to play 41 pieces of honkyoku (Zen Buddhist traditional music), 45 sankyoku pieces (chamber music played with koto and shamisen), and numerous folk songs. Upon completing this curriculum, a licensing course (which involves playing the music upside down and “teaching” it to the teacher), and a public performance, students will earn a Jun-Shi-Han Associate certificate and receive a Japanese name.
Books and Etudes
- The Practical Shakuhachi (2008) Exercises and Etudes for Technical Development
- Shakuhachi Workbook (2000) Exercises for Technical Development
Discography
- Esquisses, with The Powell Quartet
- Voice of the Whale (1994)
- Wind Heart (1996)
- Solstice Spirit (1999)
- Buddha and Bonsai (vol.4)
- Flare Up (2002)
- In The Moment (2009)
Compositions
- Solstice Spirit (1997) for Shakuhachi Orchestra in Four Parts
- Brooklyn Sanya (1999) for solo Shakuhachi
- Couple Dance (1999) for Two Shakuhachi
- Timeless Moment (2001) for Four Shakuhachi
- Flare Up (2002) for solo Shakuhachi
- Big Piece (2004) for Shakuhachi Orchestra in Five Parts
- Ten Original Duets (2005) for Two Shakuhachi
- Kuomoijishi (2005) for Four Shakuhachi
- Duo No. 1 (2004) for shakuhachi and Koto
- Duo No. 2 (2006) for Shakuhachi and Shamisen
- Quintet (2006) for Shakuhachi and String Quartet
- Duo No. 3 (2007) for Shakuhachi and 20-string Koto
- Concerto (2009) for Shakuhachi and Chamber Orchestra
- Quartet (2010) for Shakuhachi, Violin, Cello and Piano
- Movement Music (2010) for shakuhachi, koto, cello and percussion
- Haru no Umi (2010) for Shakuhachi, Koto and String Orchestra
- Sankyoku No. 1 (2010) for Shakuhachi, Koto and Bass Koto (or two Kotos)