Jim Santi Owen

Jim is an American percussionist, educator, and producer specializing in the classical percussion traditions of India. He has studied tabla under Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri since 1991 and South Indian percussion under Vidwan T.H. Subash Chandran since 1995. Jim holds a Master’s degree in World Music from CalArts and an Orff-Schulwerk certification from Mills College. He has taught at institutions including CalArts, Dominican University, the California Jazz Conservatory, and the Ali Akbar College of Music, as well as local schools in the Bay Area. His compositions have been featured internationally, including over 150 original tracks in Meta’s Sound Collection, and he currently serves as Vice Chair of the Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission. This is his second full year teaching Music at Shu Ren.