Music

Sansho Daiko

Formed in 2010, Sansho Daiko is a Vancouver-based taiko group that brings a fresh approach to an ancient art form. Drawing on both traditional and contemporary repertoire, the group creates a visual and aural experience that defies easy categorization and crosses ethnic and cultural boundaries. Like the plant it was named after, Sansho Daiko seeks […]

Kayo Jane Miki

Kayo Jane Miki is a violinist. Born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, she began her violin studies at age nine. As a high school student she earned her diploma from the Interlochen Arts Academy and then completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music. She has participated in the […]

Takako Yanagida-Lordly

Takako Yanagida-Lordly is a soprano singer. She is well known for her exquisite voice, onstage charisma and exceptional interpretations of Japanese Art Song. Yanagida-Lordly studied at the Kunitachi College of Music, Japanese National Institute for Opera in Tokyo, and in Vienna, with the renowned tenor Anton Dermota on a Japanese government fellowship. She was the […]

Victor Sawa

Victor Sawa is a music conductor, frequently dubbed as ‘the modern renaissance man’ for his wide variety of interests and experiences. Born in Montreal, Victor studied Classical Music at McGill University and achieved his Licentiate of Music in 1969. In 1971, he received his Bachelor of Music and Concert Diploma (both with distinction), and was […]

Yoko Oike-Wong

Yoko Oike-Wong is a violinist and teacher of violin. She came to Edmonton from Matsumoto, Japan in 1965 by invitation from the Society for Talent Education for the express purpose of introducing the Suzuki Method, a way of violin training for young children initiated by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki who was Oike-Wong’s teacher and mentor from […]

Megumi Masaki

Megumi Masaki is a concert pianist and multimedia artist. The innovation and breadth of her artistic activity, dynamic temperament and ‘riveting and mind-expanding’ performances have earned her a reputation as a leading interpreter of contemporary music. She specializes in exploring how sound, image, text and movement can be integrated in multimedia works. Masaki frequently collaborates […]

Chiyoko Szlavnics

Chiyoko Szlavnics has been composing music that combines acoustic instruments and sinewaves since around the year 2004. This combination of sound sources produces music that shimmers with aspects of sound not usually audible in music that is concerned with fast-changing scenarios. Her slow music allows certain details of sound, including certain psychoacoustical phenomena to come […]

Nobuo Kubota

Nobuo Kubota was born on June 27, 1932 in Vancouver BC. He has degree in architecture from the University of Toronto. He practiced architecture for 10 years before becoming an artist. He is also a musician, sound artist and sound singer. As an artist, he has a tendency to work in isolation and remains outside […]

Takeo Yamashiro

Takeo Yamashiro is a shakuhachi master who has lived and practiced his music in Canada since 1972. Prior to his arrival in Vancouver, Yamashiro trained under and played with two Kyoto Masters, Shuzan Yamashita and Kofu Kikusui. In 1971, he was appointed with mastership and the designated name of Rempu (Lotus Wind), the Chief Protégé […]

Naomi Guilbert

Naomi Guilbert is a writer who set aside writing in 1995 to focus on music when she co-founded the Winnipeg based professional taiko group Fubuki Daiko with her husband, Hiroshi Koshiyama. Guilbert received her formative training with Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka and the San Fransicso Taiko Dojo where she was also a principal instructor. She has […]

Janet Horne Cozens

Janet Horne Cozens began studying art at the age of two in Japan. Her love of art continued after her family immigrated to Northern Ontario thanks to her mother, a well known haiku poet, who encouraged her to be creative and explore various media. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a degree in […]

Ron Korb

Grammy® Award nominated flutist and composer Ron Korb has released 30 albums in 20 countries and plays a wide variety of indigenous woodwinds from around the world. Ron is on the list of ‘Ten Best Flute Players in the World’ and has won numerous awards. After graduating the University of Toronto he moved to Tokyo […]

Frank Nakashima

Frank Tadashi Nakashima was born in Toronto on July 22, 1951. He is a graduate of York University (Toronto) Bachelor of Fine Arts 1975, specializing in the performance practice of Medieval and Renaissance music. He has performed with The Toronto Consort (1972-1974), the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir (founding member) 1981-1986 and was a consultant for Poculi […]

Ed Koyama

Ed Koyama is a musician born and raised in Toronto. He has played guitar and saxophone professionally in local bands. Performances include a number of albums for Terry Watada with other local Sansei/Nisei musicians.

Linda Uyehara Hoffman

Linda Uyehara Hoffman has been a taiko (Japanese drum) player for over 30 years. She was a founding member of Katari Taiko, the first taiko group in Canada, and of Sawagi Taiko, the first all-women’s taiko group in North America, with whom she continues to perform. As a folksinger/guitarist, she sang in coffee houses in […]