Ensō (円相) is a Japanese word meaning "circle" and a concept strongly associated with Zen. ''Ensō'' is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and the void; it can also symbolize the Japanese aesthetic itself. As an "expression of the moment" it is often considered a form of minimalist expressionist art.

In Zen Buddhist painting, ''ensō'' symbolizes a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create. The brushed ink of the circle is usually done on silk or rice paper in one movement (but the great Bankei used two strokes sometimes) and there is no possibility of modification: it shows the expressive movement of the spirit at that time. Zen Buddhists "believe that the character of the artist is fully exposed in how she or he draws an ''ensō''. Only a person who is mentally and spiritually complete can draw a true ''ensō''. Some artists will practice drawing an ''ensō'' daily, as a kind of Spiritual Practice."

Some artists paint ''ensō'' with an opening in the circle, while others complete the circle. For the former, the opening may express various ideas, for example that the ''ensō'' is not separate, but is part of something greater, or that imperfection is an essential and inherent aspect of existence (see also the idea of broken symmetry). The principle of controlling the balance of composition through asymmetry and irregularity is an important aspect of the Japanese aesthetic: Fukinsei (不均斉), the denial of perfection.

The ''ensō'' is also a sacred symbol in the Zen school of Buddhism, and is often used by Zen masters as a form of signature in their religious artwork. For more on the philosophy behind this see ''Hitsuzendo'', the Way of the Brush or Zen Calligraphy.

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Category:Concepts in aesthetics Category:Japanese aesthetics Category:Japanese calligraphy Category:Zen terms Category:Visual motifs Category:Buddhist terms Category:Expressionism Category:Zen art and culture

The Ensō String Quartet is a US-based string quartet. They have won a number of competitions including the 2003 Concert Artists Guild, 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Formed in 1999, they have released three CDs on the Naxos Records label, one of which was nominated for a "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award.

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In the 09/10 season the Ensō Quartet was announced as a winner of the Chamber Music America Commissioning Grant which will see the quartet work with composer Kurt Stallmann on a new piece for string quartet and electronics. Since the quartet’s inception in 1999, new music has featured prominently – from winning the Piece-de-Concert prize at the Banff Competition for the best performance of the commissioned piece, to premiering Joan Tower’s Piano Quintet last season, to making premiere recordings released on Albany Records this season of works by composers Anthony Brandt and Karim al Zand.

The 09/10 season has also seen release of the Enso Quartet’s CD of the three quartets by Alberto Ginastera on the Naxos label. The Ginastera CD, which was nominated for "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award , follows the quartet’s 2005 debut on Naxos Records, a 2-CD set of Ignaz Pleyel’s six string quartets, Op. 2, which garnered rave reviews, with Strad Magazine calling the disc “an auspicious start to the Enso Quartet’s recording career.” Gramophone Magazine hailed their playing as “lively and intelligent”, and Fanfare Magazine praised the ensemble for its "extraordinary talent...exceptional sense of vitality and elegance.”

The Ensō Quartet’s members also teach and coach chamber music. Institutions with which they have held substantial teaching or performing residencies include the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (08/09 season), Boston University Tanglewood Institute (06-08), Interlochen Adult Amateur Chamber Music Camp (07-present), and Rice University (04-06) where the members of the quartet served as Guest Lecturers in String Quartet. The quartet has been awarded the Guarneri Quartet Award for their continuing collaboration with Connecticut’s Music for Youth program with whom they have developed a successful program for string students in public schools in Bridgeport and Weston, CT.

The Ensō Quartet's members hold degrees from The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music (UK) and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). The ensemble formed in 1999 and while students at Yale University and completed graduate residencies at Northern Illinois University with the Vermeer Quartet and at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. The quartet has been featured in the American Ensembles column of ''Chamber Music magazine'' and their live performances have been broadcast on PBS, Chicago’s WFMT, Wisconsin Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio’s Saint Paul Sunday program, Houston’s KUHF, Australia’s ABC Classic FM, Radio New Zealand and Canada’s CBC radio.

''The ensemble’s name, enso, is derived from the Japanese zen painting of the circle which represents many things; perfection and imperfection, the moment of chaos that is creation, the emptiness of the void, the endless circle of life, and the fullness of the spirit.''

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The ensemble was chosen as the graduate quartet-in-residence at Northern Illinois University where they were mentored by the Vermeer String Quartet. They also completed a graduate residency at Rice University.

The Ensō Quartet's recording of the complete Ginastera String Quartets was nominated for "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award and selected by MusicWeb International as "Recordings of the Year 2009".

The ensemble has also been the recipient of a Commissioning grant and Residency partnership grants from Chamber Music America.

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He was christened Joseph Jacques Pierre-Paul Jalbert in Quebec City, Canada, the son of a newspaperman. He graduated from Ouellet College, and attended Laval University, where he was part of the University Air Training Corps during World War II.

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In 1961, at the urging of an agent friend, he auditioned for and got the part of bilingual Cajun PFC Paul "Caje" Le May in the TV series Combat!. After the show's cancellation in 1967, Jalbert had a few other acting roles before returning to his editing career. Pierre worked on The Godfather, including the famous baptism intercut sequence at the climax of the movie. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for sound editing for the 1981 miniseries ''Shōgun''. He retired in 1990.

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Strongly influenced by Detroit techno, Ken Ishii had his first release on Richie Hawtin's label Plus 8. He composed the music for the opening ceremonies to the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. He provided a track for the 2001 video game ''Rez'' by Sega: ''Creation The State Of Art'' which is the music used in the third level of the normal game, as well as music for the game LSD. His track "Let It All Ride" has also been used in the PSP video game Lumines II.

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Category:Living people Category:Sony Music Japan artists Category:Japanese DJs Category:Japanese musicians Category:Japanese electronic musicians Category:Japanese techno musicians Category:Club DJs Category:Remixers Category:People from Sapporo Category:Hitotsubashi University alumni

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Category:American female singers Category:American sopranos Category:Living people