Island Breeze Concert 2024
Saturday, November 30th, 2024 at 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Island Breeze Concert Features Shakuhachi Grand Master Riley Lee, Taiko Drum Master Kenny Endo and Slack Key Guitar virtuoso Jeff Peterson in Concert
About Island Breeze
Music Lovers are in for a rare treat as three masters of their crafts on three very different instruments join forces in their Island Breeze concert. Shakuhachi grandmaster Dr. Riley Lee, taiko drum master Kenny Endo and slack-key guitar virtuoso Jeff Peterson linked up during a week-long residency in Honolulu in 2012. Each conducted intensive workshops and sought to skillfully blend their individual styles to create an inspired sound distinctive to the Hawaiian Islands. They presented their concert at the University of Hawaiʻi Orvis Auditorium. In 2014, the trio recorded “Island Breeze”, nominated in 2015 for Na Hoku Hanohano awards – Hawaiʻi’s version of the Grammys – for Album of the Year and Instrumental Song of the Year.
About the Artists
Riley Lee has been playing the shakuhachi – bamboo flute – for over half a century. In 1975, he became the first non-Japanese to be honored with the rank of Dai Shihan (grand master).
Lee, a frequent visitor to the islands is known for providing ethereal music for the Lawaʻi International Centerʻs Pilgrimage of Compassion among the 88 Buddhist shrines in Lawaʻi Valley.
He has introduced the shakuhachi to diverse world-wide audiences as a soloist, with other performers, and through his teachings. He earned BA and MA degrees in music from the University of Hawaiʻi and a PhD degree from the University of Sydney, Australia.
Lee has released more than 70 albums since his first LP in 1980. His latest three solo albums are entirely of the music of the 12th Century mystic, Hildegard von Bingen.
Kenny Endo is at the vanguard of the taiko genre, continuing to explore new possibilities for this ancient Japanese instrument. A performer, composer, and teacher, Endo is a consummate artist, blending taiko with original music through collaborations with artists from around the world.
In 2022, Endo toured across the USA, performing concerts, conducting workshops, and lecturing. He recently received the Honpa Hongwanji Living Treasures of Hawaiʻi Award, and in January 2022, was awarded the United States Artists award.
Jeff Peterson was introduced to the rich heritage of Hawaiian music by his father, a paniolo, or Hawaiian cowboy, on Haleakala Ranch on the island of Maui. Winner of 14 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, including “Haleakala”, a collaboration with Riley Lee, Jeff is at the heart of the Hawaiian music scene and is recognized as one of Hawaiʻi’s most versatile musicians.
His passion for the guitar has allowed him to shine as a solo artist and has given him the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of artists from Hawaiʻi, across the US, and abroad. His focus on slack key guitar, classical, and jazz music has allowed him to develop a unique and transcendent voice on the guitar while being deeply rooted in the traditions of his Hawaiian heritage.
On Sunday, November 30, the Island Breeze concert will take place from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM, with doors opening at 5:00 PM at the Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center in Puhi. Tickets are $50 general admission, $30 for senior citizens age 65+ and $15 for students. Itʻs open seating for all tickets. Tickets are available online at ISLANDBREEZECONCERT.EVENTBRITE.COM or may be purchased at the box office on the night of the performance.
The concert is sponsored by the Garden Island Arts Council with assistance from Taiko Kauai. For more information, email giac05@icloud.com; or phone (808) 635-3039.
