Gagaku Instruments Masterclass

Alicia “Lish” Lindsey (ryūteki), Thomas Piercy (hichiriki), Fabio Rambelli (shō)

POSTER: The two leading Gagaku musicians in North America, Lish Lindsey and Thomas Piercy, together with UCSB's Fabio Rambelli, conduct a masterclass on the the three woodwind instruments of the Gagaku orchestra.

WEB: The two leading Gagaku musicians in North America, Lish Lindsey (ryūteki) and Thomas Piercy (hichiriki), together with UCSB's Fabio Rambelli (shō), will conduct a masterclass on the three woodwind instruments of the Gagaku orchestra. They will introduce the instruments and explore their performance techniques, and teach how to perform pieces from the classical Gagaku repertory.

Guest bios:

Alicia “Lish” Lindsey plays the ryūteki (flute) and is the Gagaku Ensemble Director at Columbia University. Lish also teaches applied flute, directs/conducts flute choirs, and is an adjunct music lecturer at CUNY Brooklyn College (NYC), New Jersey City University, Wilkes University (PA), and Summer Music in Tuscany (Italy).

Thomas Piercy, already a prominent figure in the contemporary classical world as a clarinet soloist, began the study of the hichiriki in 2012. He has been influential in promoting the composition of new pieces for this ancient instrument; In addition to his own compositions, he has premiered many new works for hichiriki composed for him.

Fabio Rambelli is professor of Japanese religions at UCSB, where he is also the director of the UCSB Gagaku Project. He is writing a book on the cultural history of Gagaku. Rambelli plays the shō and has been championing a new kind of fusion music played on Gagaku instruments with his duo Neo Archē.

Sponsors: UCSB Shinto Studies, Department of Religious Studies, Music Department, Manitou Foundation and Division of Humanities and Fine Arts, Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global.

Gagaku is the ceremonial music of the imperial court and the major Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines of Japan, recognized by UNESCO as the oldest continuously performed orchestral music in the world. Gagaku has long been known for its ancient inter-Asian translocal nature and its rich vernacular traditions. It is less known that since the 1960s, composers all around the world, beginning in the US, have been writing new music for Gagaku instruments, either based on traditional techniques or as ways to explore new possibilities and develop a new musical language. Lish Lindsey (ryūteki), Thomas Piercy (hichiriki), and Fabio Rambelli (shō) perform works by Alan Hovhaness, John Cage, and more recent original pieces, as well as selections from the classical repertory. Join us for this beautiful and unexpected concert. Organized by Fabio Rambelli, International Shinto Foundation Professor of Shinto Studies, UCSB.

UC Santa Barbara University Carillonist Wesley Arai will present a recital of original works for carillon, plus arrangements of classical and modern favorites created specifically for carillon.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair, grab some snacks, and enjoy the recitals from the lawn outside the tower!