Taiko drummers to appear

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The Mountain Home Arts Council will sponsor the award-winning Asian American drumming group Portland Taiko Ensemble in a performance at 7 p.m. on March 12 at Mountain Home High School's Lloyd Schiller Gymnasium.

Tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for senior citizens and students. Tickets can be purchased at Phoenix Storybook Co., Moxie Java, the Senior Center and at the door.

Established in 1994, Portland Taiko Ensemble "weaves rhythm, melody, humor and movement together into an exhilarating musical experience," sponsors said. "By combining traditional and contemporary compositions and choreography, Portland Taiko Ensemble takes Asian-American music into unexplored territory with its innovative and provocative creations."

Taiko, the Japanese word for drum and the name of the art form, has its roots in ancient Japanese tradition and was used in religious ceremonies, community festivals and theater. The boundaries of villages were defined by the distance from which the community taiko could be heard. American taiko was born in the late 1960s, and it became a powerful symbol of voice during the struggle for redress of the Japanese-American internment.

To maintain those roots, Portland Taiko pioneered a unique community involvement process. The Rock the Boat project, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, and "engaged members of the Asian-American community in creating a ground-breaking performance challenging racism through voice, movement, stories, image, and taiko."

The only professional taiko company in the Pacific Northwest, Portland Taiko Ensemble was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Composers Forum to represent the state of Oregon in Continental Harmony. The ensemble is also widely recognized as a leading group in the North American taiko community.

In November 2001, Portland Taiko traveled to Japan for a pilgrimage of workshops, performances and cultural exchange. The tour included intensive study with several taiko masters.

Portland Taiko released its second CD, Big Bang, in September 2003, on which the true sound of the drums is clearly recorded, and for which the touring program is named.

In 2004, Portland Taiko celebrated its 10th anniversary with a landmark concert season, On the Shoulders of Giants. In June 2006 Portland Taiko hosted more than 30 taiko groups from the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada at the Regional Taiko Gathering and in 2007 the group returned to the Kennedy Center for the 23rd Annual Open House Arts Festival.

Today, Portland Taiko Ensemble brings what are described as "its own unique, contemporary style and innovations" in taiko to over 70,000 people a year at festivals, schools, theaters, colleges, and fairs.

The event is sponsored by the Mountain Home Arts Council, Idaho Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, WESTAF, select Mountain Home businesses, and contributions from local citizens.

For more information about the Mountain Home Arts Council or this event, go to the group's website at www.mharts.org or call 587-3706.

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  • The only professional taiko company in the Pacific Northwest? Don't forget Seattle's One World Taiko. A small group of 4, but they are a full-time professional group, and highly skilled.

    -- Posted by genjii931 on Tue, Mar 3, 2009, at 5:16 PM
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