ESS ONLINE EVENTS 2025–2026
2006–2026 ESS 20 YEARS ANNIVERSARY
We are happy to announce the ESS Online Events for 2025-26!
After the success of our last event series, we have another wide selection of events lined up for you. We invite you to five events spread out between 2 November 2025 and 3 May 2026.
Last year we introduced the new format of the ESS Sunday Brunch which proofed very popular, so we scheduled again three Brunches. In any case we hope there is something for everybody – we are certainly very excited of what is coming up!
Quick overview of events:
2 November 2025 Event #1
ESS Sunday Brunch with Daniel Lifermann
7 December 2025 Event #2
ESS Sunday Brunch with Kiku Day
18 January 2026 Event #3
ESS New Year Concert – ESS Members & Guests
14 + 15 February 2026 Event #4
Intermediate/Advanced workshop with Kawamura Kizan,
Véronique Piron, Gunnar Jinmei Linder, Cornelius Boots
3 May 2026 Event #5
ESS Sunday Brunch with tbc
The season starts off on the 2. November with the ESS Shakuhachi Sunday Brunch, a mix of informal gathering and formal teaching open to all levels, but in particular we welcome all you shakuhachi beginners and elementary players. The Sunday Brunch is a free event to attend and will be led by an experienced shakuhachi player and teacher. Each brunch starts off with blowing some ro-buki together to get into the spirit, followed by an open forum where, depending on the workshop leader, we will accommodate e.g. teaching about techniques, an open mic kind of slot, where you can present your playing to get feedback, talks and other type of presentations or discussions as well as a Q & A. As part of the schedule, there will also be a specific piece taught.
Our workshop leaders or ‘Chefs de partie’ for the upcoming Sunday Shakuhachi Brunch in 2025 are Daniel Lifermann (2. November 2025), Kiku Day (7. December 2025).
Next year the programme continues with the ESS New Year Concert on 18 January 2026. As already in previous years we placed the annual online gathering to a quieter moment in the year and we hope it gives us again the energy and strength to welcome and sustain us through 2026. We have not finalised the details here but the programme will involve our ESS membership.
As we continue our event series we have a dedicated intermediate/advanced workshop lined up for the 14+15 February 2026. Here we have from Japan Kawamura Kizan (Tozan-ryū, JSPN), from USA Cornelius Boots (Black Earth Shakuhachi School) as well our European guests Véronique Piron (KSK) and Gunnar Jinmei Linder (Kinko-ryū/Chikumeisha). The sessions will feature a mix of traditional honkyoku and modern pieces. Not to miss, for any level.
And last but not least we will have one more Sunday Shakuhachi Brunch on 3. May 2026 with the programme still to be announced.
REGISTRATION
Registration for the events is always at the bottom of the relevant individual page, e.g. for 2. November Brunch it is on https://events.shakuhachisociety.eu/event-1/schedule-1/, etc.
SCHEDULES & CONTENT
Please visit the individual event pages to see relevant schedules.
We do not anticipate that general start and end times given for each day on the schedules will change but the individual lesson durations within may be amended to suit the evolving teaching content. So check back occasionally to see if there were any changes or updates.
TEACHING MATERIALS
If there are study materials (score, fingering charts, mp3, etc..) for a workshop provided by the teacher we aim to make them available to the registered participants 1-2 weeks before event commences. For the workshops using a score, we suggest you print a hardcopy beforehand.
ZOOM RECORDINGS
Dependent on permission by the teacher we will make recordings of the zoom sessions availabe to the registered participants to view online for about two weeks after the event finishes.
By participating in the event, you agree to (1) the sessions being recorded. And (2) these recordings being made available to view for about 2 weeks after the event to other workshop participants. You are not allowed to record and/or disseminate the Zoom sessions yourself.
ZOOM / ZOOM LINK
The online platform for the event series is Zoom. Please note that you will need to install the Zoom application on your device to attend. But there is no need to open a Zoom account. If you have any questions about technical aspects of Zoom please contact us beforehand.
We will also send out a the relevant zoom link and a guide with zoom set-up and workshop etiquette a couple of days before the event.
LEVELS
Levels are never clear cut and kind of subjective so please note: It is sometimes useful for participants to attend workshops at a higher level than that at which they find themselves. If one attempts to play at least slightly beyond one’s perceived capacity, one often discovers that, particularly in the workshop context, one is carried by the group to a higher level. Additionally, even if one cannot play at the required level, the experience of hearing a piece taught by an expert teacher can lead to insights into the nature of one’s own limitations and how to overcome them. So simply sitting in on and listening to a workshop at a higher level can be a valuable experience.
Vice versa e.g. someone of elementary level, or even people considering themselves as intermediate level, may still benefit from lessons aimed at beginners as they cover basic principles like e.g. good posture, correct breathing and embouchure.
Last but not least, if you are an aspiring shakuhachi teacher the courses will offer an opportunity to gain invaluable insight by seeing experienced teachers and players giving workshop lessons tailored and structured around the different needs of beginners to advanced level students.
Reference descriptions
Beginner. This embraces all players who just picked up the instrument and started to blow to anybody who spend already a short while with the instrument and can produce sound and pitches in otsu more or less stable.
Elementary assumes that the player can obtain kari notes in otsu with reasonable security, is familiar with kan notes, even if still learning to produce them reliably, and has some basic idea of meri notes, even if intonation may be unstable.
Intermediate assumes that the player is secure with kari notes in otsu and kan, and is capable of producing meri notes reliably in both octaves, with reasonably reliable intonation
Advanced assumes that the player has a high degree of proficiency and control in production of meri and kari tones in otsu and kan, and is familiar with dai-kan notes. Intonation is reliable and stable, with good control of shaping and shading of dynamics, timbre and pitch.