International Shakuhachi Festival Prague 2019

The ISFP celebrates an ancient Japanese flute, the shakuhachi. This instrument inspires composers and audiences worldwide and presents a joyful symbiosis between the old and the new.

The festival sets out to foster new perspectives on Japanese and contemporary music, serving as an artistic and educational platform for artists, musicians and music students.

The festival presents the highest quality of traditional music as well as of new musical directions.

Held in Prague from September 12 – 16, 2019. This five-day event includes intensive study groups and workshops led by professional shakuhachi, koto and shamisen players. Absolute beginners will have the opportunity to take part in Hands On courses on shakuhachi, koto and shamisen. Find out more about learning at ISFP.

The ISFP 2019 opens with a symposium, Music in Transmission, organised NEIRO Association for Expanding Arts and Department of Musicology of Charles University on the 12th of September.
In the following days the festival will present the Japanese spiritual music along side with poetry and experimental film. Special highlight of this year will be a concert of the BERG Orchestra presenting works of Toru Takemitsu and Toshi Ichiyanagi. For more information about concerts see here.

We would like to take more time before we announce the full array of our dear guests. However not to keep you completely in the dark, you can expect an outstanding line-up led by Kuniyoshi Sugawara, John Kaizan Neptune and Akihito Obama.

The 12th issue of the Prague Shakuhachi Festival is organized by NEIRO Association for Expanding Arts (NEIRO), in partnership with the Music and Dance School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU), the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague (FFUK), the National Gallery in Prague, the Archa Theatre and the Czech Japanese Association with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Czech Republic, the Japan Foundation, the City of Prague and Hotel AXA.

Since 2017 onwards, the festival takes place every two years. The following ISFP will happen in September, 2021.