Poster James Schlefer playing a shakuhachi (Japanese flute)
James Schlefer playing a shakuhachi (Japanese flute)
Photo by An Xiao
Performance Today®

James Nyoraku Schlefer

Almost 40 years ago, James Schlefer first heard the sound of the shakuhachi, the Japanese wood flute. Today, he's among the few Westerners to be a certified Grand Master on the instrument. He's a composer, as well. On Wednesday's Performance Today, hear James Nyoraku Schlefer play the shakuhachi in a performance of his composition "Concertante".

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15, Op. 14: Movement 1
Beethoven Orchestra Bonn; Roman Kofman, conductor
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphonies No. 3, etc
Dabringhaus und Grimm 937 1210

Dieterich Buxtehude: Ciacona in B minor, BuxWV 160
Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Concert Hall, Sao Paulo, Brazil

The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Steven Buchtal from Honolulu, Hawaii

Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 12 in D-flat major, Op. 133
Pacifica Quartet
Aspen Music Festical and School, Harris Hall, Aspen, CO

Hour 2

Claude Debussy: La plus que lente
Phoenix Avalon, violin; Hsin-I Huang, piano
Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, MN

Gabriela Lena Frank: Three Latin American Dances: Movements 1 & 3
Houston Symphony; Andres Orozco-Estrada, conductor
Houston Symphony, Jones Hall, Houston, TX

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst: Variations on The Last Rose of Summer
Phoenix Avalon, violin
PT Young Artist in Residence, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, MN

James Nyoraku Schlefer: Concertante for shakuhachi, koto, violin, cello, and chamber orchestra
J. Nyoraku, shakuhachi; Y. Kimura, koto; E. Kiesewetter, violin; S. Dubois, viola; S. Balderston, cello; Texas Festival Chamber Orchestra; Perry So, conductor
Round Top Festival Institute, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top, TX

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About Performance Today®

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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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