Japanese Buddhist chant workshop with Junko Ueda

NOTE: Only 20 places available, but if there are none left via SOAS online booking (store.soas.ac.uk), feel free to email David Hughes (dh6@soas.ac.uk) in case one becomes available.

 

Junko Ueda leads a participatory workshop on shomyo Japanese Buddhist vocal music. No experience necessary.

 

The workshop will last for 3 hours, with various breaks. Basic content:
   • Warming up: breath and body exercises, aiming to increase consciousness of your breathing and of a low gravity point called 'hara' in Japanese.
   • Introduction to shomyo: first learn some shomyo melodic patterns and later sing some variations with chorus. (Although shomyo is often called ‘Buddhist chant’, in fact there are highly melodic songs as well.)
   • Practice singing a specific piece: the traditional sutra 'Sange’.

 

For a taste of this music and photos from previous workshops, see www.shomyo.com .

 

Junko Ueda (further information at www.junkoueda.com), raised in Japan, has been based in Europe since 1988. She studied satsuma-biwa lute-accompanied narrative music with great masters and has released two prize-winning CDs of traditional pieces, as well as often performing contemporary compositions by Takemitsu and others. She also studied shomyo with renowned Tendai master Koshin Ebihara. She has held dozens of concerts and workshops in over ten countries. She has a magical way of conveying the wonder and delight of these music traditions.

 

Course fee: £20, concessions £15 (unemployed & students); advance booking required