Taiko

Melisa Kamibayashi -Staples

Melisa trained in and performed taiko with an all women’s taiko group in Japan in the 90’s. She went on to participate in International taiko conferences in Los Angeles and Sacramento, and workshops with Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka, KODO, GONNA, Burlington Taiko, Arashi Taiko and Kiyoshi Nagata. Former performer and Artistic Director of Oto-Wa Taiko, delivering […]

Hitoshi Sugiyama

Born and raised in Japan, Hitoshi Sugiyama practiced and performed taiko and shinobue. During university, he started DJing and composing electronic music. In 2009, he moved to Canada and continued composing. He joined a local band and the soundtrack they created forThe Moustachewon awards at the 2017 Edmonton International Film Festival and the Las Vegas […]

Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野

Nikkei-Canadian settler Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野 (they/them) is a queer, trans non-binary, interdisciplinary creator-performer based in Tkarón:to (Toronto). Heralded as “a force of nature” (Toronto Star) and “an artist with extraordinary things to say” (The Globe and Mail) Teiya comes from a background of over a decade of singing both traditional and contemporary operatic roles […]

Booming Tree Taiko

Booming Tree is a contemporary drum duo, founded by Gregory Hideo Shimizu and Twilla MacLeod in 2008. Known for their innovative combination of taiko, percussion and vocals, they have performed across North America, from New Orleans to Yellowknife, and from coast to coast in their unique duo format. Booming Tree’s work is firmly rooted in […]

Scott Kokichi Kusano

Kokichi began his performing career at the age of 5 as a member of the Toronto Suwa Daiko a cultural association located in Toronto. Subsequently, Kokichi was introduced again to Japanese music during high school after the death of his grandfather and introduction to the Buddhist Temple where he was re-united with Taiko in 1996 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 […]

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 […]

Hiroshi Koshiyama

Hiroshi Koshiyama co-founded the Winnipeg-based professional taiko group Fubuki Daiko with his wife, Naomi Guilbert in 1995. Born and raised in San Francisco, he became a Canadian citizen in 2000 after moving to Winnipeg. He received his formative training with Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo where he also acted as the […]

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 […]

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 […]

Noriko Kim Kobayashi

Noriko Kobayashi is a musician. She earned a M.A. degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of British Columbia, in addition to a B.A. in Music and Psychology from U.B.C. She also earned a music degree from Capilano College in classical voice studies and is also a published author on the subject of taiko. Prior to […]