Steven is a licensed teacher and active performer of the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute. He has performed on the documentary soundtrack Aloha Akebono (KHON TV) and given numerous performances and guest lectures in Hawaii, including at the Japanese Consulate, Bishop Museum, Honolulu Academy of Arts, University of Hawaii at Manoa, East-West Center, Hawaii Theater, Chaminade University, and Kapiolani Community College. His performances have extended internationally to Osaka and Bisei, Japan; Albany, New York; and Chicago, Illinois. Steven is a frequent presenter at the Japanese Studies Association's Freeman Foundation Summer Institute. A recipient of the prestigious Japanese Ministry of Education Scholarship (Monbushō), Steven conducted extensive research on the modern history of the shakuhachi tradition at Osaka University. He worked under the guidance of world-renowned scholar Tsukitani Tsuneko and the Osaka-based Shakuhachi Kenkyūkai of the Osaka University of Arts. His research has been published in the international journal The World of Music. Steven has also served on the faculty of the Hawaii Shakuhachi Festival (2006), Kauai Shakuhachi Festival (2014), and the Shakuhachi Festival of the Pacific (2017).
Steven has released two CDs: The Voice of Bamboo: Take no Koe and San Kyorei: Sacred Music for Shakuhachi. In 2022, he competed in the World Shakuhachi Festival Online Competition, placing 4th in the modern music category and receiving a special prize for "Best Video." In 2023, he earned 1st place in the Hawai'i Regional Osaka International Music Competition. Most recently, Steven was awarded Platinum Medals in multiple international online music competitions and has been invited as a guest artist for the upcoming World Shakuhachi Festival 2025 in Texas.
Steven’s teachers include Robert Herr and Riley Lee in Hawaii, and Ishikawa Toshimitsu in Japan. He was also fortunate to study directly with the legendary Yokoyama Katsuya in workshops and private lessons in Bisei, Japan. In recent years, he has worked with Zenyoji Keisuke in Tokyo, studying honkyoku from Fudaiji Temple and the Nezasaha style of playing. Most recently, he began studying with Dr. Yamada Fumio, a prefecturally designated holder of the Japanese intangible treasure Kinpu-ryū Shakuhachi, to deepen his understanding and performance of the Kinpu-ryū, Nezasaha style.
Steven received his Jun-Shihan license in 2000 from Yokoyama Katsuya and Ishikawa Toshimitsu. In 2016, he was awarded his Shihan license and the name Taizen (泰然) by Grandmaster Riley Lee. In 2024, Steven was honored with the title Dai Shihan (光竹, Kōchiku) and officially founded the Kōchiku Kai, an organization dedicated to the study and transmission of koten honkyoku. To celebrate the establishment of Kōchiku Kai, Steven will release a new digital album series, Kōchiku Shakuhachi Honkyoku, presenting all the koten honkyoku taught within Kōchiku Kai, performed on a 1.8 shakuhachi.
Steven is on the music faculty of the Punahou Music School (Honolulu, HI), where he teaches piano, music theory, and shakuhachi. He has also been a lecturer in Music Theory and Piano Pedagogy at the music department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is a nationally certified teacher of music in piano through the Music Teachers National Association and is certified by the Royal Conservatory of Music in both Piano and Music Theory. He has served on the executive boards of the Hawaii Music Teachers Association and the Honolulu Piano Teachers Association. His principle teachers of piano were Lisa Kim, Morton Estrin, Rose Tanner, Dolores Johnson (piano pedagogy), and Frank Iogha. He has also had special coaching sessions with David Breitman, Igor Kipnis, Eugenia Tsarov, Gregory Partain, Sanford Margolis, and Martin Canin. He received his BM in Piano and Music Education from the Crane School of Music (SUNY, Potsdam) and graduate degrees in Ethnomusicology (MA) and Music Librarianship (MLISc) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 2020, Mr. Casano received the great honor of being awarded a 2020 Teacher of Distinction by the Royal Conservatory of Music.
Steven has released two CDs: The Voice of Bamboo: Take no Koe and San Kyorei: Sacred Music for Shakuhachi. In 2022, he competed in the World Shakuhachi Festival Online Competition, placing 4th in the modern music category and receiving a special prize for "Best Video." In 2023, he earned 1st place in the Hawai'i Regional Osaka International Music Competition. Most recently, Steven was awarded Platinum Medals in multiple international online music competitions and has been invited as a guest artist for the upcoming World Shakuhachi Festival 2025 in Texas.
Steven’s teachers include Robert Herr and Riley Lee in Hawaii, and Ishikawa Toshimitsu in Japan. He was also fortunate to study directly with the legendary Yokoyama Katsuya in workshops and private lessons in Bisei, Japan. In recent years, he has worked with Zenyoji Keisuke in Tokyo, studying honkyoku from Fudaiji Temple and the Nezasaha style of playing. Most recently, he began studying with Dr. Yamada Fumio, a prefecturally designated holder of the Japanese intangible treasure Kinpu-ryū Shakuhachi, to deepen his understanding and performance of the Kinpu-ryū, Nezasaha style.
Steven received his Jun-Shihan license in 2000 from Yokoyama Katsuya and Ishikawa Toshimitsu. In 2016, he was awarded his Shihan license and the name Taizen (泰然) by Grandmaster Riley Lee. In 2024, Steven was honored with the title Dai Shihan (光竹, Kōchiku) and officially founded the Kōchiku Kai, an organization dedicated to the study and transmission of koten honkyoku. To celebrate the establishment of Kōchiku Kai, Steven will release a new digital album series, Kōchiku Shakuhachi Honkyoku, presenting all the koten honkyoku taught within Kōchiku Kai, performed on a 1.8 shakuhachi.
Steven is on the music faculty of the Punahou Music School (Honolulu, HI), where he teaches piano, music theory, and shakuhachi. He has also been a lecturer in Music Theory and Piano Pedagogy at the music department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is a nationally certified teacher of music in piano through the Music Teachers National Association and is certified by the Royal Conservatory of Music in both Piano and Music Theory. He has served on the executive boards of the Hawaii Music Teachers Association and the Honolulu Piano Teachers Association. His principle teachers of piano were Lisa Kim, Morton Estrin, Rose Tanner, Dolores Johnson (piano pedagogy), and Frank Iogha. He has also had special coaching sessions with David Breitman, Igor Kipnis, Eugenia Tsarov, Gregory Partain, Sanford Margolis, and Martin Canin. He received his BM in Piano and Music Education from the Crane School of Music (SUNY, Potsdam) and graduate degrees in Ethnomusicology (MA) and Music Librarianship (MLISc) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 2020, Mr. Casano received the great honor of being awarded a 2020 Teacher of Distinction by the Royal Conservatory of Music.