Taiko Arts Center 2013 Overview
2013 was an eventful year for Taiko Arts Center beginning with support of “Midnight Moon,” a new composition by Kenny Endo combining taiko and dance. Featuring members of the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble and students from the University of Hawaii Department of Dance, the piece was premiered at the Taiko Drum and Dance concert at Kennedy Theatre in February 2013 to much acclaim.
Also supported by TAC was the creation of “Threads of Aspiration,” composed by composer/arranger/pianist Derek Nakamoto of Los Angeles. This piece also premiered at the Taiko Drum and Dance concert as the finale.
During the months of February-June 2013, the Taiko Center of the Pacific Youth Group prepared for a performance at Zenshin Daiko’s 15th Annual Taiko Concert at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, Kahului Maui in June. The Youth Group had an intensive taiko camp weekend and made great strides in their development and performance art. Many new friendships and inspirations resulted from the collaboration with Zenshin Daiko of Maui. The Youth Group’s trip to Maui was supported in part by the Japan Foundation Los Angeles.
In August 2013, TAC presented the “Classical and Contemporary Japanese Drumming” concert, residency, workshops, and lecture/demonstrations featuring grand Kabuki musician Saburo Mochizuki, taiko soloist Yuu Ishizuka, and shamisen artist Akiko Miura and the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble (KETE). KETE premiered two new pieces composed by Yuu Ishizuka, “Samurai” (supported in part by the Mayor’s Office on Culture and the Arts) and “Sankana.
Samurai was again performed at Taiko Center of the Pacific’s 20th Annual Bonenkai (end-of-the-year celebration/recital) in December 2013.
Thanks to everyone’s support in fundraising (mochi, Habilitat Christmas trees, Festival of Giving, and Give Aloha), private donations, and grants, Taiko Arts Center is able to fulfill its mission of promoting and fostering an appreciation of taiko and its related arts through education, preservation, collaboration, and innovation. TAC adopts and supports the vision of Sensei Kenny Endo that tradition is the basis of innovation and taiko bridges cultures and promotes peace.
