Interviews
Ben Pachter
These interviews were facilitated by Ben Pachter
Ben is an educator, musician, and scholar who is interested in taiko performance both as a life-long drummer – he has degrees in Orchestral Percussion Performance – and as an academic. In 2013, he received his PhD in ethnomusicology, writing his dissertation on the musical history of contemporary taiko performance in Japan and the United States. Presently, he’s interested in the development of performance practice, and repertoire, and the connections between older styles of Japanese music like matsuri-bayashi and hōgaku-hayashi and the modern taiko styles.
2017 Interviews
Carrie Carter August 20, 2017
During this discussion, we talked with Carrie about her performance background, her experience learning, playing, and teaching taiko in different places around the world, and her blogging activities.
Ai Matsuda July 13, 2017
During this conversation, we talk about Aichan’s experiences playing taiko in Hawaii, the mainland United States, and Japan. Aichan discusses the various roles that taiko has had in her life, the various identities that taiko has taken on, and how her relationship with taiko has changed over time.
James Beale June 25, 2017
In this discussion, we talk about his taiko journey, how playing taiko helped as he relocated to Dubai, and the idiosyncrasies that come with being the first taiko group in the Middle East.
Jennifer Weir June 15, 2017
In our discussion, we talk about Jennifer’s background and performance history, where taiko fits into her own journey, and the path from Theater Mu to Mu Daiko to TaikoArts Midwest, along with the challenges that come with starting a new taiko organization.
Brian Sole May 15, 2017
In our interview, we discuss Brian’s journey to Japan and back, and how taiko fit within this journey. We also talk about creating a taiko school and a taiko performance scene, and how one carves out a niche for oneself in a the cultural environment of a region.
Kiyoshi Nagata April 1, 2017
During our conversation, we covered a wide range of topics, including Kiyoshi’s performance background, playing taiko in Toronto, the act of collaboration, teaching taiko in a university setting, and the troubles of recording taiko.
Jennifer Milioto Matsue March 30, 2017
During our conversation, we discuss her background as both musician and scholar, her diverse research interests, and her work on taiko both as a researcher and as the instructor of a class/ensemble on taiko performance.
Mark H Rooney March 23, 2017
During our discussion, we talk about Mark’s taiko journey, his thoughts on taiko pedagogy, and how to move cities and maintain a career as both performer and teacher.
Michael Jürges January 30, 2017
During our interview, we discuss his background, the history of taiko in Germany, and how he proceeded with the study of German taiko performance even as the majority of studies on the art form – and thus the primary sources from which he could draw – have been geographically limited to Japan and North America.
2016 Interviews
Chiara Codetta Raiteri November 21, 2016
In our discussion, we talk about her performance background, her experiences both as a taiko educator and performer, and the cross-cultural observations she’s made while studying taiko in Europe, Japan, and the United States.
Angela Ahlgren November 10, 2016
In this interview, we talk about Angie’s history as both taiko performer and taiko scholar, how each has informed the other, and her current work.
Kate Walker October 10, 2016
In this interview, we discuss her past and present as both taiko performer and taiko scholar. We talked about her first meeting with taiko, how it led to her interest not just as a performer but also as an academic, and her current research.
Yeeman Mui September 27, 2016
In this interview, we discuss Yeeman’s education and performance background, how she got into both taiko and early childhood music education, and her current projects, including Taiko Tots, Taiko Together, and TaikOrff.
Taiko Tots is taught at the Taiko Center of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI. For more information, visit the class website.
Taiko Together is taught at the Los Angeles Taiko Institute in Torrance, CA. Visit Yeeman’s website or the Taiko Together Facebook page to learn more.
Micah Wilhelm July 5, 2016
Micah Wilhelm is founder of Taiko Zürich in Zürich, Switzerland, and organizer of the bi-annual Taiko Spirit taiko festival. We discuss both of these ventures during our discussion, as well as how Micah got into taiko performance, the challenges of starting a new group in Zurich, and playing taiko in Europe.
Bruce Mui Ghent June 27, 2016
During our conversation, we discuss Mui’s performance history, his combination of dance and taiko, and his approach to both performance and production. We also talk about the Taiko Trek Summer Taiko Camp that will be taking place this July in Mt. Shasta, CA.
Eien Hunter-Ishikawa March 9, 2016
In this interview, we talk with Eien about his performance background, moving between different musical spheres, and the cats of composition and collaboration.
Isaku Kageyama March 2, 2016
In this interview, we spoke with Isaku about his composition “Rei.” He talks about the piece this letter
Isaku Kageyama is an eclectic and versatile taiko performer, hand percussionist, and drummer, currently working with groups such as Asano Taiko UnitOne, film-scoring extravaganza The Masterpiece Experience, world music group Rhythm of the Universe and anime band Soulandscape
His resume includes major corporate events and TV commercials for global brands such as Boeing and Toyota, performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and tours including nations such as Brazil, China, Thailand, United Arab Emirates.
Formerly a principal drummer of premiere ensemble Amanojaku, he holds a Bachelor of Music from the Berklee College of Music and a Master of Arts from Longy School of Music of Bard College.
He is also a two-time National Odaiko (large drum) Champion, becoming the youngest person to win highest honors at the Mt. Fuji Odaiko Contest in 2000, and Hokkaido in 2003.
Kris Bergstrom – “Jack Bazaar” January 26, 2016
In this follow-up conversation with Kris Bergstrom (see Kris Bergstrom April 29, 2015 for first interview), former instructor at the Los Angeles Taiko Institute (LATI) in Torrance, CA, we discuss his composition “Jack Bazaar” (as well as related compositions “KARC/Joan of Arc & Donzoko). We delve into the history of the piece, how it has evolved, and how it has been influenced by Kris’ evolving thoughts on taiko performance and composition.
Here are a few videos that have been posted by Kris on Vimeo that augment the conversation about the structure and performance of the piece:
2015 Interviews
Jonathan Kirby October 20, 2015
Jonathan is founder of Kagemusha Taiko from Devon, United Kingdom. We discuss the origins of Kagemusha Taiko, the goals and philosophies that have driven its development and activities, and the 2015 European Taiko Conference.
Gastón San Cristobal October 1, 2015
Gastón is co-founder and director of ESTO ES TAIKO, the first magazine outside of Japan dedicated to taiko performance. He is also a member of Shinzui Daiko in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and currently is studying in Japan at the University of Tsukuba.
In this interview, we talk about his performance history, taiko in Argentina, and his life as a consumer of all things taiko-related as he studies at the University of Tsukuba.
Isabel Romeo Biedma September 15, 2015
Isabel is a founding member of Seiwa Taiko, a taiko group based in Madrid, Spain. In our discussion, we talk about her performance background, how she first encountered taiko, and the experience of starting a taiko group in Madrid.
Ian Cleworth August 24, 2015
Ian has been Artistic Director of TaikOz since its inception in 1997. In 2005 he became full-time with the group after having spent 20 years as Principal Percussionist with the Sydney Symphony and 16 years with the percussion group Synergy.
In this interview, we discuss Ian’s taiko performance background, how it connects to his background in Western percussion, what makes TaikOz different, and how the group creates repertoire and conceptualizes concert flow.
Michelle Fujii August 13, 2015
Michelle Fujii creates contemporary work as a 4th generation Japanese-American through the art form of taiko, Japanese drums, and Japanese folk dance placing “traditional” ethnic art within the present – not as a preservation – but as an active force that can continue to inspire and evolve. Fujii started her taiko training as a performing member of San Jose Taiko. After graduating with a degree in Ethnomusicology at UCLA, Fujii rejoined San Jose Taiko as artistic staff. In 2001 she was awarded the prestigious Bunka-cho fellowship from the Japanese government to study with Japan’s foremost traditional folk dance troupe, Warabiza, where she studied under the tutelage of master dancer/choreographer Shohei Kikuchi. Fujii has played with numerous groups including TAIKOPROJECT, On Ensemble, Shasta Taiko and served as Artistic Director of Portland Taiko for 9 years.
I spoke to Michelle about her performance history, her approach to both performance and teaching, and the thoughts behind her duo Unit Souzou.
Stuart Paton July 1, 2015
Stuart Paton, Founder and Artistic Director of Burlington Taiko spent most of his childhood in Japan, from age nine months through eighteen years. His earliest exposure to taiko included a first-grade fascination with the drums at an Obon celebration in Tokyo, and learning “Matsuri Daiko” from the composer of the score for his high school drama production. His formal study of taiko began in 1984 during a summer apprenticeship with Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka, the founder of the first taiko group in North America (San Francisco Taiko Dojo), and he founded the Burlington Taiko Group in 1986 not long after settling in Vermont.
In this interview, we talk about his performance experience in both Japanese and Western percussion, his taiko training, playing taiko in Vermont, and his drum-building activities.
Karen Young June 10, 2015
Karen Young is founding director of The Genki Spark, a Boston-based taiko group “dedicated to promoting and supporting the voice and visibility of Asian women while advocating respect for all.”
She was a founding member of Odaiko New England, as well as a entrepreneur and advocacy consultant. We spoke with Karen about her performance and advocacy background, how they both influenced the creation of The Genki Spark, and the thoughts and meanings behind The Genki Spark’s activities.
Yuta Kato May 18, 2015
Yuta Kato is formal Principal and Instructor at the Los Angeles Taiko Institute (LATI), a dedicated taiko school in Torrance, CA. In this interview, we discuss the origins of LATI and the associated performance group Unit One, as well as Yuta’s own performance background and thoughts on taiko pedagogy.
Joe Small May 3, 2015
Joe Small is a solo taiko performer, a performing member of pioneering solo taiko artist Hayshi Eitetsu’s elite professional ensemble, Fu-Un no Kai, and a member of the taiko group Prota.
In 2015, Joe finished his MFA studies at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, where he investigated the relationships between contemporary choreography and taiko drumming. In this interview, we talk about his master’s thesis concert Spall Fragments, which took place on Saturday, April 11, 2015. We discuss the thoughts, discourses, and experiences that shaped the development of this show described as a “bombastic mix of taiko, contemporary choreography, and theatrical dialogue.”
Kris Bergstrom April 29, 2015
Kris Bergstrom is a former Instructor at the Los Angeles Taiko Institute (LATI), a dedicated taiko school in Torrance, CA. In this interview, we discuss the origins and operations of LATI, Kris’s approach to taiko pedagogy, and his explorations of movement & choreography.