East Winds Ensemble is presenting a program to celebrate Spring. A unique concert performed by two international masters of Japanese music, Marco Lienhard (Swiss-born) and Claudia Erland. An evening of Shakuhachi, and Koto that will soothe and tingle your senses. You will not want to miss this evening of timeless and magical music. The concert will also include traditional as well as modern compositions such as Haru No Umi, Fukuda Rando melodies, Sue no Chigiri.

Marco Lienhard is the director of Taikoza and East Winds Ensemble (1995-Present). Marco Lienhard lived and performed in Japan for 18 years (1981-1998) as a member of the legendary Taiko group Ondekoza. He mastered the Taiko, the Shinobue, the Noh flute, and the Shakuhachi under Katsuya Yokoyama. He ran the 9000 miles of the perimeter of the US from 1990-1993 while performing along the way.  He has toured internationally and collaborated with artists worldwide.

In 1995, Marco Lienhard was the Shakuhachi soloist for the NYC Opera’s premiere of the Opera „Kinkakuji“ and was a soloist with the Juilliard New Music Ensemble. He premiered „Voyage X“ with the Juilliard New Music Ensemble. He has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, Osaka Festival Hall, Madison Square Garden, Tchaikovsky Hall, and the International Performing Center in Moscow, among others. Marco Lienhard’s music was nominated five times for the „Just Plain Folks Awards in 2014 and 2019 for best songs, best album for Instrumental and Asian Music. He has published a book about the Shinobue (How to learn to Play the Shinobue). He recorded music for the award-winning Nintendo Wii games: Red Steel 1 and 2.

Marco Lienhard has recorded and appeared on more than 20 Shakuhachi, Taiko and Fue CDs. He has recently released two CDs of his compositions with Taikoza: Voice of the Earth and Tree Spirit. East Winds Ensemble (the Music of Studio Ghibli CDs) has more than 8 million streams on Spotify alone.

He was recently invited to the 2018 Shakuhachi Festival in London and Taiko festival in Switzerland. In addition, he is the recipient of many grants and was invited on concert tours organized by (Rockefeller, Carnegie Hall, The Japanese Ministry of Education, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Japan Foundation, LMCC, UMEZ, etc.)

Claudia Erland began her musical studies at the age of five in piano, going on to study at the New England Conservatory.  In 1984, while living in Japan, she was introduced to the koto and has been playing ever since, earning the advanced Oku-Den Certificate from the Washington Toho Koto Society.  She is a member of the Sawai Koto Academy, working with Sensei Naoko Kikuchi in Frankfurt, Germany.  Ms Erland has performed on multiple tapes and CDs during her time with the Washington Toho Koto Society.  She has explored the merging of the Koto with Western instruments, in particular the Irish Harp, with acclaimed Irish Harpist Lily Neillon her debut album, ‘Without Words’.  Additionally, she has  performed at numerous venues in Washington, DC area, New York City, San Francisco, Hawaii, Sydney, Australia, and Italy, among others. She currently lives in Lugano, Switzerland.   Ms Erland also has a BS in Physics and Mathematics from Bridgewater State College (MA), and an MA in Physics from Wesleyan University (CT).

East Winds Ensemble
Experience the Power of Taikoza. Thunderous Taiko Drums. Soulful Bamboo Flutes. Unforgettable Performance. Feel the pulse of Japan’s musical tradition with Taikoza, where the deep resonance of taiko drums meets the breath-taking melodies of shakuhachi and shinobue flutes.

Weitere Infos
Webseite: marcolienhard.com und taikoza.com