Glenn Horiuchi, SDPS
In Memorium
02/27/1955 - 07/02/2000

Father, musician, composer, mathematician, friend.

 As an improviser and composer, Glenn Horiuchi was indebted to the jazz avant-garde, Asian traditions, and Western classical music. He had performed at the Berlin Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Mexico's Japan Fest, Seattle's Earshot Festival, Asian American Jazz Festival in San Francisco and Chicago, New York's Japan and Asia Societies, Los Angeles Festival, Edmonton's Jazz City Festival, Japan America Theatre, Knitting Factory Piano Festival, Yale University and Brown University. He is the recipient of composer fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and California Arts Council, and grants from Meet the Composer, LA Cultural Affairs, City of San Diego and San Diego Community Foundation. He had performed with Joseph Jarman, Wadada Leo Smith, George Lewis, John Tchicai, Art Davis, Francis Wong, Miya Masaoka, Tatsu Aoki, William Roper, Mark Izu, Min Xiao Feng, Tom Buckner, San Jose Taiko, and Nobuko Miyamoto. Horiuchi has given talks and workshops at the Japanese American National Museum, Wesleyan University, Northeastern University, California Institute of the Arts, University of Denver, Stanford University, University of Colorado, San Jose State University, University of Southern California, and University of California at Berkeley, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Barbara.

     Glenn had been an auto-mechanic, a graduate student in mathematics, a political activist, a construction worker, music teacher, and an ongoing student of Nagauta and Zen. His final project was his battle with colon cancer, which was diagnosed in August 1999. Horiuchi left behind in Los Angeles his wife Edna and son Kenzo. Glenn Horiuchi studied Zen with Zen Master Robert Moore for more than ten years. They both shared a love of music and especially of the avant garde style of original composition. Glenn worked hard at his practice of Zen and hoped some day to begin teaching at the Japanese Community center where he taught the ancient art of the samisen. Glenn was gifted and touched all of us in the sangha. When Glenn was diagnosed with cancer he made an abrupt shift in the focus of his life. All of the problems he had seemed to melt in the background and a true modern day Bodhisattva emerged. Glenn had truly found himself, and his place in the universe. His compassion for others was endless and pure. Glenn easily finished the great work of life and death, and became Moore sonsa-nim's first student to attain the universal mind. Glenn helped many struggling new students deepen their practice; and brought back some older students by challenging their motivation. Glenn is missed by all of us. Kwanseum Bosal...