Touching the Field of Stars

A benefit concert for the Yidzhin Norbu Kangyur Project 2023: Reprinting a precious collection of texts to make all the spoken words of the historical Buddha more widely available for daily study by monks, nuns, lamas and dedicated lay people.

For this special occasion, renowned musicians Ab Baars and Hélène Seiyu Codjo will play together for the first time, performing a number of traditional pieces for two shakuhachi, the traditional Japanese bamboo flute. They will also each play solo compositions and improvisations on shakuhachi, clarinet or tenor saxophone, including How else will they touch the field of stars (Baars) and ...... . Halfway through the evening there will also be a short presentation on the Kangyur project.

The entrance fee for the concert is flexible, ranging from €7, to €25 to €108 or €540. Per visitor, €6 goes to Splendor's expenses and the rest goes to the Kangyur Project. According to Buddhist tradition, every contribution to spreading the words of the Buddha brings great blessings to both the contributor and those close to him. Also, the names of all who contributed will be recited in Bodh Gaya, India, at the place where the histioric Buddha attained Enlightenment.

If you cannot attend the concert but would still like to donate, you can do so through this link. Thank you very much!

Ab Baars, Hélène Seiyu Codjo - shakuhachi

About the shakuhachi: The shakuhachi is a Japanese bamboo flute that was traditionally played by Zen monks or Komuso and for them was a form of meditation (whistling). This concert represents a unique opportunity for listeners to learn about the long and deep history of the shakuhachi which has been so strongly shaped by Zen Buddhism.

Ab Baars, improviser, composer and band leader plays tenor saxophone, clarinet and, since 2005, the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute. He is currently studying the traditional shakuhachi repertoire, Honkyoku, with Hélène Seiyu Codjo. The press has charachterized Baars' music as joyfully quirky, appealing and as colorful as it is amazing. It embodies the best that Dutch improvised music has to offer. Although he rarely uses recognizable song forms or continuous swing rhythms, his music remains catchy because it is stripped down to its essence and presented with clarity. Misha Mengelberg nestor of Dutch jazz and improvisational music noted: "Ab Baars does not play jazz 'or any other style' but 'Ab music'." More information via Stichting Wig.

Hélène Seiyu Codjo is a shakuhachi grandmaster (Dai shihan). She received her Japanese artist name Seiyu 聖 優 (Holy Kindness) from her master Fukuda Teruhisa, Japanese grandmaster and founder of the Hijirikai school. Hélène draws peace from this traditional shakuhachi music. She also plays contemporary music, improvisations and her own compositions. She uses the shakuhachi to expose her deeper feelings. Her goal is to make the shakuhachi more widely known and to take people into the enchanting sound of this flute and its meditative power. She has made two solo CDs, "African Memories" and "Reflection" with her own compostions and traditional shakuhachi honkyoku. In Duo Satsuzen, shakuhachi and flute, she explores the timbres of the flute with those of shakuhachi. Since 2013, Hélène has been giving shakuhachi lessons and concerts in the Netherlands and Europe. She is regularly invited to perform at international festivals. More information, click heer.

Proceeds from this benefit concert will go to the Yidzhin Norbu Kangyur Project 2023. Initiator Tarthang Tulku, a lama from the Tibetan Buddhist Nyinga school, is requesting the support of his international centers to reprint a thousand collections of the Yidzhin Norbu Kangyur, a precious collection of texts containing all the spoken words of the historical Buddha. Tartang Tulku's goal is to make these precious resources more widely available for actual daily study by individual monks, nuns, lamas and also dedicated lay people. The Kangyur is crucial to the preservation and flourishing of the Dharma in the world. Learn more and donate: https://www.nyingma.nl/kangyur-project/.

Duration of the programme: about 90 minutes, incl. short break.