Shawn Head

Shawn Tairyu Head is an American master shakuhachi player, composer, and teacher who uniquely bridges Western classical training with traditional Japanese aesthetics. Born in St. Louis and initially trained as a violist and composer (studying at the Cleveland Institute of Music), he discovered the shakuhachi at age 18 during travels in Asia.

Under masters Kaoru Kakizakai and Michael Chikuzen Gould, he became the youngest non-Japanese to earn the Shihan (master’s) title in 2016. In 2024, grandmaster Taniguchi Yoshinobu elevated him to Meiyo Daishihan (“Honored Grandmaster”), bestowing the name Tairyu—“Great Dragon”—honoring his contributions both in performance and pedagogy.

Head splits his energy among performing traditional honkyoku, composing and commissioning modern works, lecturing internationally, and teaching through an extensive online studio begun in 2018, now enriched by over 900 video lessons. Rooted in Japanese spiritual and aesthetic concepts yet informed by his Western musical foundation, his work continues to revive and expand the global reach of the shakuhachi.