Music

Uminari Taiko

Uminari Taiko is Vancouver Island’s first taiko drumming ensemble. Its mission is to share and promote the art of Japanese taiko drumming through teaching and performances. Uminari is a Japanese word that can be translated as “roaring sea” – the sound of the crashing waves and the silence in between. It is a name that […]

Mikuro Mika

MIKURO MIKA is a singer-songwriter based in North America and Japan. In 2015, she was diagnosed with cancer in her stomach and immediately got treatment. Following that ordeal, she decided to go to other countries to share her music and message and left Japan. She has performed at Anime North, Japan festival Canada and she […]

Nagata Shachu

Nagata Shachu, based in Toronto, Canada, has enthralled audiences with its mesmerizing and heart-pounding performances of the Japanese drum (taiko) since its formation in 1998. The group has toured widely throughout Canada, the US and Italy, in addition to Mexico and Lebanon, performing in major theatres, concert halls, and festivals. While rooted in the folk […]

Yoko Galvin

Yoko Galvin was born in Tochigi, Japan. She travelled around the world in the 1970s, visiting Russia, Europe, and Canada, gaining experiences that she has beautifully incorporated into her art. Her unique perspective on life, love, and relationships results in some of the most captivating and inspiring pieces of musical and visual works. As a […]

Mark Takeshi McGregor

Described as a “mind-blowing” musician of “huge physical energy” (Victoria Times Colonist), flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor is widely regarded as one of Canada’s leading interpreters of contemporary, avant-garde, and experimental music. As a soloist, chamber musician, improvisor, interdisciplinary artist, and as flutist of the Victoria-based Aventa Ensemble, McGregor has performed extensively throughout North and South […]

Catalina Yue

Catalina Yue (born May 19 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, actress, model and businesswoman. She is a former delegate in the Miss Universe Canada competition. Yue worked as a model and graduated from the Arts and Business Program at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario. For her debut album, […]

Vancouver Taiko Society

Taiko in Vancouver Inspired by a performance by the San Jose Taiko Group at the 1979 Powell Street Festival, members of Vancouver’s Asian community came together to form their own taiko group as a means of exploring and celebrating their heritage through the Japanese drum. With the formation of Katari Taiko in the fall of […]

Chibi Taiko

Robert Hideki Uchida

Violinist Robert Uchida has been hailed for his “ravishing sound, eloquence and hypnotic intensity” (Strings Magazine). A regularly featured guest soloist with many of Canada’s orchestras and chamber music festivals, Robert recently had the honour of performing Bottessini’s Grand Duo Concertante with bassist Edgar Meyer under the direction of William Eddins. Concertmaster of the Edmonton […]

Aiko Saita

Aiko Saita was a well-loved Nisei mezzo-soprano/contralto singer. Born in BC in 1909, Aiko grew up in Cumberland and dreamed of becoming a dentist. At the age of 14, she moved to Vancouver to attend high school, working for the dentist Dr. Miyake and his wife as a live-in maid and nurse for their children. […]

Brent Hirose

Brent Hirose is an actor, writer, director, improviser, playwright and voice over artist based in Vancouver, BC. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, he grew up all over the middle of Canada before settling in Winnipeg where he graduated with Honours from the University of Winnipeg’s Theatre and Film Program. Working there for over a decade, he […]

Carol Oya

Carol Oya hails from Vancouver. She’s been singing pretty much all her life. As a kid, she loved to watch “Solid Gold” and mimic her idols, Olivia Newton-John and Sheena Easton. Like every good Asian parent, her mum forced her to take piano lessons from the age of five. She fondly remembers crying while doing […]

Stephanie Eiko Nakagawa

Soprano, Dr. Stephanie Nakagawa, has a great passion for Canadian opera. Her outstanding contribution to the field and her publication, A Canadian Opera Aria Anthology for Soprano has been recognized by the Canadian Music Centre with the Barbara Pentland Award of Excellence. Stephanie completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice and Opera from […]

Chika Buston

Chika is an acoustic fingerstyle-guitarist, vocalist, and keyboardist. She plays an eclectic range of styles, and can commonly be found playing folk music around BC with violinist Caitlan Read.

Kita no Taiko

Kita no Taiko is a non-profit, volunteer based Japanese Drumming group located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Our group formed in 1986. We have been honoured to play at festivals in Edmonton like the Fringe, K-Days, Heritage Festival and First Night, and at venues like the Jubilee, Winspear and Citadel theatres. We have done collaborative performances […]