| Occupation | Composer |
|---|---|
| Instrument | Bass Clarinet · Shakuhachi |
| Associated acts | Edmund Welles |
| Website | http://corneliusboots.com |
Cornelius Boots (Cornelius Shinzen Boots) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist.[1] Best known for founding and leading Edmund Welles, the only composing bass clarinet quartet in the world[citation needed], he now mainly plays and composes for the shakuhachi flute having retired from bass clarinet in 2015.[2] Boots had been playing the clarinet from the time he was in fourth grade, and credits his early experience playing a reed instrument with what he called a "spike of awareness."[3]
He received his shakuhachi master teaching’s license (Shihan)[4] from Grand Master Michael Chikuzen Gould[5] in 2013. He has recorded five albums and performs internationally.[6] He played on stage during Sony's E3 2018 conference, prior to the reveal of Ghost of Tsushima, a samurai-based video game.
Boots mostly plays taimu shakuhachi, which are long, wide-bore flutes noted for their deep tones.[7]
References
- ^ Knolls, Forest. "Cornelius Boots". San Francisco Classical Voice. Archived 2018-02-04 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
- ^ Boots, Cornelius. "Post by Boots". Facebook. Archived 2023-09-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
- ^ Riley, Michael. "#32 Breathing Bamboo: Cornelius Boots". Science and Nonduality. Sounds of Sand Podcast. 3:14. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ The International Shakuhachi Society – Biography: Boots, Cornelius Shinzen Archived 2017-04-17 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ The International Shakuhachi Society – Biography: Gould, Michael Chikuzen Archived 2017-04-18 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "New Music USA – Presentation: Cornelius Boots". Archived 2017-04-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ^ "Mujitsu/Taimu Shakuhachi – Ken LaCosse". www.mujitsu.com. Archived 2019-03-18 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-02-09.