Simon Barker and Bronwyn Kirkpatrick

Shakuhachi and percussion meet in this stunning collaboration between two of Australia’s most unique and accomplished contemporary musicians.

Simon Barker (PhD Jazz Performance) is a lecturer in Drum Set and Rhythm Awareness at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In addition to his numerous solo performances and recordings, Simon co-leads several internationally recognized collaborative ensembles including Trace Sphere, Chiri, Showa 44, and Band of Five Names. Simon also performs with many of Australia’s most established ensembles including the Matt McMahon trio, the Phil Slater Quartet, and several groups led by Scott Tinkler.

Bronwyn Kirkpatrick began her shakuhachi journey with Riley Lee in 1997, after completing a Bachelor of Music degree in clarinet performance. Captivated by the sound, Bronwyn studied with Riley for the next seven years and was then very fortunate to be awarded a Churchill Fellowship and an Australia Council Skills and Arts Development Grant, which enabled her to further her studies with Kaoru Kakizakai in Japan. Bronwyn has performed at numerous festivals nationally and internationally, including the World Shakuhachi Festival, the OzAsia Festival, Sydney Sacred Music Festival, Four Winds Festival and the National Folk Festival.