James Nyoraku Schlefer

James Nyoraku Schlefer is a Grand Master of the shakuhachi and one of only a handful of non-Japanese artists to have achieved this rank. He received the Dai-Shi-Han (Grand Master) certificate in 2001, and his second Shi-Han certificate in 2008, from the Mujuan Dojo in Kyoto. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Tanglewood and BAM, as well as multiple venues across the country and in Japan, Malaysia, Brazil and Europe. As a composer, Schlefer’s unique style draws upon his deep connections to Western classical and rock music, as well as traditional and modern styles of Japanese music. He has written multiple chamber and orchestral works combining Japanese and Western instruments as well as numerous pieces solely for traditional Japanese instruments. He writes for koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi, with and without Western instruments, combining these instruments with piano trio, string quartet and orchestra. His orchestral music can be heard on the recording Spring Sounds Spring Seas on MSR Classics. He is a 6-time Hermitage Artist in Residence. Schlefer is a life-long Brooklynite where he maintains an active shakuhachi dojo. He has three children and four grandchildren, and enjoys bicycle riding, reading history books and watching action movies.  nyoraku.com