----- Original Message -----
From: "Kiku Day" <kikuescargot@hotmail.com>
To: <Shakuhachi@communication.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 10:06 PM
Subject: [Shaku] The 'Women Event' at the N.Y. Festival
The question whether the women only panel discussion and concert was
necessary and if so why it was necessary have arisen. And this is not a
surprise.
response 1 :
*** and you give us the numbers to support your ideas - nice work!
Number of composers: 123
Women composers: 2 (1.5%)
Number of pieces: 269
Pieces by women: 2 (0.75%)
Conductors/directors: 56
Women conductors: 1 (1.8%)
Instrumental soloists: 14 women out of 64 (22%)
This is taken from a survey by Bruce Paterson and Jenny Fowler.
response 2 :
Regarding non-Japanese players being marginalised. Haven稚 especially North
American players showed their influence and level by having hosted 2 of the
4 world shakuhachi festivals and having several camps there? Cultural
snobbery exist everywhere, and I don稚 really think it痴 a general opinion
that non-Japanese can稚 play shakuhachi among Japanese shakuhachi players
anymore. I think, or I certainly hope these world shakuhachi festivals have
proven that.
*** Ditto, I also observe that non-Japanese shaku-artists have 'made the
grade' in the eyes of their Japanese counterparts. There is also something
'interesting' in the way that is going. I have been told by more than one
high-level music educator, administrator, diplomat that 'we feel a sense of
relief that so many foreigners are pursuing the shakuhachi (and other
traditional music) seriously' - in the spirit of the 1950s/60s, when
American industries were happy to have Japan take responsibility for
producing toys and shoes, as the USA was on to more sophisticated matters!
*** I have heard (in comments by Japanese friends, sparing their names) that
"Japan(ese) cannot put on gala shakuhachi fests like Boulder and NYC"
(though I was impressed by the 1st Int' Shaku Fest in Okayama) - the
'loosen up, get down, do it' style is not often found in society here. Does
it make sense that efforts to introduce the improvisatory spirit of (Indian)
music to this world may address the situation of form first and foremost
(and sometimes to the exclusion of most everything else!) and nurture novel
efforts towards organizational creativity for our dear friends here?
Incidentally, I am not trying to pat my own back, perhaps just trying to
rationalize for myself why I am plugging away here and not in India or the
USA...
Tim Hoffman
List subscription information is at:
http://communication.ucsd.edu/shaku/listsub.html
_____________________________________________
List subscription information is at:
http://communication.ucsd.edu/shaku/listsub.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Feb 23 2005 - 15:42:33 PST