THE ARTISTS
Shane Shanahan combines drumming traditions
from all over the world with Western
classical and jazz techniques. Mr. Shanahan
is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music
and the Hartt School. He has worked with
Indonesian gamelans (gong and xylophone
orchestras), Caribbean steel drum bands,
throat-singing choirs, free improvisation
groups, contemporary music ensembles,
orchestras, folk singers, and a wide range
of dancers.
View Interview | (Quicktime Required)
Kojiro Umezaki grew up in Tokyo, Japan,
where he received traditional instruction
on the shakuhachi (Japanese end-blown
bamboo flute), an instrument with a history
dating back to the seventh century. His career
encompasses both traditional and technology based
music for the shakuhachi and a range
of electronic media.
View Interview | (Quicktime Required)
Wu Man is one of the most outstanding
pipa (Chinese lute) virtuosos today. She is
recognized internationally as an extraordinary
exponent of the traditional repertoire of
Chinese classical music and as a leading
interpreter of contemporary pipa music. She
began her musical training at the age of nine
and later studied at the Central Conservatory of
Music in Beijing.
View Interview | (Quicktime Required)
Ben Haggarty has been a prime force behind
the revival of professional storytelling in
England since 1981. He is internationally
respected for his knowledge of the stories and
storytelling traditions of China, Japan,
Mongolia, Iran, Central Asia, and India.
View Interview | (Quicktime Required)
John Bertles is a music educator who has
developed a unique program of creating musical
instruments from recycled materials with
his group Bash the Trash® which reaches over
20,000 elementary students in New York, New
Jersey, and Connecticut.
View Interview | (Quicktime Required)
OTHER INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS
Li Bao-Chun is one of the leading Chinese opera artists today.
Nurlanbek Nishanov is a virtuoso wind instrumentalist from the Kyrgyz Republic, the heart of the Silk Road.
Rysbek Jumabaev is a revered epic reciter also from the Kyrgyz Republic.
Zhantao Lin plays the erhu (Chinese fiddle).
Sonal Bhatt is a Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer.
Mike Mei Ningguo is a calligrapher originally from China.
Wu Zhengwen is a skilled bamboo artist originally from Huizhou, China.
Hu Jianbing is a soloist and composer and plays the sheng (Chinese mouth organ).
Beat In Fractions is a Montreal based jazz trio with double bass drums and shakuhachi.
Dr. Jan Walls, professor of Chinese and Japanese languages at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, will demonstrate the art of shulaibao, kuibanr, and other forms of Chinese traditional storytelling.
PEM Community Storytellers will perform stories from the Silk Road, past and present.
Louise Omoto Kessel is an award-winning storyteller known for encouraging people to develop their own stories.
Odaiko New England (ONE) combines traditional elements of taiko (traditional Japanese drumming) with contemporary influences.
Falguni Shah is a classical vocalist who has toured throughout India and has performed with the legendary Indian musician Ustad Sultan Khan.
