Biography
Elliot Kanshin Kallen plays the shakuhachi, the traditional Japanese end-blown bamboo flute. He is a long-time student of David Kansuke Wheeler of Boulder, Colorado, and he has also studied with Kansuke’s teacher, Junsuke Kawase III, the third-generation head of Chikuyusha, the largest shakuhachi teaching organization of its kind in Japan. In 2006, Elliot was honored to be chosen to perform for Kawase-sensei’s 70th birthday at Tokyo’s National Theater. He received his shihan (master’s license) and performance name Kanshin, (勘心) in late 2018. Elliot plays shakuhachi in a wide variety of contexts, from traditional Japanese music with koto and shamisen, to the exploratory sounds of the avant guard. Under the name Edo Ensemble, he and his longtime koto and shamisen partner, Naoko, perform traditional Sankyoku (ensemble pieces). He is also a founding member of TenTen Taiko, performing throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Elliot is the current President of the International Shakuhachi Society (see www.komuso.com). He performs, teaches, and gives lectures on Japanese classical music and the shakuhachi from his home base in Northern California.