Draft:Shawn Tairyu Head

Shawn Tairyu Head

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Shawn Tairyu Head[1] is an American shakuhachi performer, composer, and educator. He has a growing studio of students and an active online presence, with nearly 1000 YouTube videos, including performances, tutorials, and explorations of Japanese music theory, and the history of the shakuhachi.[2]

Career

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Head has had a lifelong fascination with the culture and aesthetics of Japan, beginning when he discovered Japanese calligraphy at the age of five[3]. He studied the martial arts of Japan, as well the language, and was then introduced to the shakuhachi at age 18. While earning his BA in Music Compostiion at the Cleveland Institute of Music, he also studied shakuhachi under the tutelage of first, Kaoru Kakizakai, and then American grandmaster Michael Chikuzen Gould[4], earning his shihan (master) license in 2016.[5] Despite occasional accusations of cultural appropriation[6], he continued to pursue his goal of creating new works that sounded like authentic shakuhachi pieces.[7]

After graduating, he worked primarily as a performer, appearing at venues in the US and Japan. He has also recorded a number of albums, and worked on the original soundtrack for the game Stronghold: Warlords[8], released by FireFly Studios. In 2018 he began to accept students, teaching primarily online. In 2024, senshinkutsu daishihan (highest-ranking grandmaster) Taniguchi Yoshinobu elevated Head to the rank of meiyo daishihan (honored grandmaster).

In addition to teaching and performing traditional Japanese repertoire, Head has explored the possibilities of the shakuhachi in contemporary Western music. In 2017, he cofounded Shoso Duo with harpist Susanna Campbell, to focus on contemporary music, and especially the works of living composers. They performed widely in the Houston, TX, area, until Head relocated to Nara, Japan in 2020.

Head's compositions have been performed by various ensembles, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra. He has also enjoyed an active career as a soloist or ensemble contributor; below is a selected list of venues and events where he has performed.

  • ~ TeTeTe Television Premiere of Shawn Renzoh Head, Shakuhachi player 2022 (spring)
  • ~Nara the 7 Television Premiere of Shawn Renzoh Head, Shakuhachi player 2021 (spring)
  • ~Yamanashi TV, New, Calligraphy and Shakuhachi, Shawn Head and William Reed, 2021 (winter)
  • ~ Music from the Grove with Houston New Arts Movement February, 2019
  • ~ Yin Yang Duo Performance, Shakuhachi and Guzheng Minneapolis, Minnesota February, 2019
  • ~ Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Shoso Duo Songs for Shakuhachi and Harp February, 2019
  • ~ Records New Works of Music in Girton College, United Kingdom January, 2019
  • ~ Houston Composers Saloon, Premiering Six New works for Shakuhachi November, 2018
  • ~ Memorial Classical Series, Invited Guest Artist October, 2018
  • ~ Energy Corridor of Houston Guest soloist November, 2017
  • ~ Hermann Park Japanese Gardens 20th Anniversary celebration, April 2017 and May 2017
  • ~ JAGH New year festival, January 2017 and 2018
  • ~ Japan America Society of Houston (JASH) Gala, November 2016
  • ~ Japanese Association of Greater Houston (JAGH) Senior Celebration, October 2016
  • ~ The Bop Stop Presents: East Meets West - Shawn Head and Naomi Columna April 2016
  • ~ Japanese - American Society of Central Ohio, Speech Contest, March 2016
  • ~ Classical Revolution Cleveland, 2015 - Spring 2016
  • ~ Cleveland One World Festival, August 2015
  • ~ Cleveland Institute of Music New Music Recital, February 2015
  • ~ Ohio Japanese Teachers Association, December 2015
  • ~ Performance at the Peter B. Lewis Building located at Case Western Reserve University, November 2015
  • ~ Cleveland Nihongo Hoshuko Japanese Language School, December 2014 and May 2015
  • ~ Cleveland Institute of Music New Music Concert, November 2014

Discography

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Tairyu Honkyoku: Volume I (2024)

Tairyu Honkyoku: Volume II (2024)

Waves of Harmony (with Kyle Abbott) Staggered release

20-20 Bamboo (youtube public release) 2020

Music From Nowhere: Sounds of a tea Journey - 2019 percussion and shakuhachi (Harry B Happy Bartholomew)

Teksasys Latgalisi (featured artist) winner of BONKUS Cultural Award 2018

Fourteen Roei - 2017

References

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  1. ^ "Shawn Tairyu Head". The International Shakuhachi Society. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  2. ^ "Tairyu Shakuhachi - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  3. ^ Grant, Rika (23 January 2019). "An American Shakuhachi Player & the Colors of Kyoto". Japanese Books. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  4. ^ "Michael Chikuzen Gould". The International Shakuhachi Society. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  5. ^ "Shawn Tairyu Head". Shawn Tairyu Head. 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  6. ^ "Meet Shawn Head". Voyage Houston. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  7. ^ Lewis, Zachary (2016-02-16). "Cleveland composer Shawn Head adopts musical culture and language of Japan". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  8. ^ "Stronghold: Warlords - OST Extended". Steam. Retrieved 2024-08-11.