SHOMYO CHANTING
The earth's breath
with Junko Ueda
Born in Tokyo, Junko Ueda studied the satsuma-biwa with Kinshi Tsuruta and the shômyô with Kôshin Ebihara. She has lived in Europe since 1998 and performs a repertoire of epic storytelling songs as a solo artist, accompanying herself on the biwa. She teaches shômyô in several countries.
The shômyô is a repertoire of Japanese liturgical songs, usually sung by Buddhist monks. This practice originated in India and arrived in Japan via China. Orally transmitted, the body of work has remained unchanged since the ninth century. The shômyô is characterised by an ample tessitura, and technique that calls for the mastery over breathing, controlled vocal expression and melismatic melodic patterns.
The aim of this workshop is to stimulate the use of the natural voice in order to awaken awareness of breathing, to improve concentration and lessen stress levels.
This course is open for anybody who are interested in breathing, voices, ensemble singing as well as Japanese culture. Besides, wind instrument players can benefit a lot from this cours
Junko Ueda and her students will give a demonstration on Sunday 9th July at 11 am at the "Arboretum d'Aubonne " Flyer
