Join us for an insightful discussion about the history and features of the shakuhachi with Elizabeth Reian Bennett, the first woman to be certified a Grand Master of the Shakuhachi.

The shakuhachi is a Japanese end-blown flute, made of bamboo, developed in Japan in the 16th century.  Elizabeth Reian Bennett studied and performed with Living National Treasure Aoki Reibo, who is recognized as one of Japan's foremost shakuhachi instrumentalists.  

Elizabeth Reian Bennett

Since her debut recital in Tokyo in 1984, Elizabeth Reian Bennett has performed frequently in Japan and worldwide, from Australia and Europe to Mexico, Afghanistan and the United States. Notable venues in Japan have included Tokyo National Theater and NHK (Japan National TV). 

Her CD entitled Song of the True Hand, was nominated ‘Instrumental Album of the Year’ by Jon Sobel at Blogcritics Magazine. In describing it, Sobel wrote, “(it exemplifies)… the way a single individual with a musical instrument can wordlessly conjure the human spirit out of thin air.” Hartford Advocate critic Dan Barry compares her musical vocabulary to “…Coltrane in his prime”. Jay Keister, critic for The Journal of the Society for Asian Music, praises “Bennett’s impressive technique…Her skill with the instrument is clearly world-class.”