Instructors

One of the leading personas in contemporary percussion and rhythm, KENNY ENDO is at the vanguard of the taiko genre, continuing to explore new possibilities for this ancient Japanese instrument. A performer, composer, and teacher of taiko, he has received numerous awards, accolades, and a “natori,” (stage name in classical drumming). Kenny is a consummate artist, blending taiko with original music through collaborations with international artists. Kenny's taiko are provided courtesy of Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten.

Website: www.kennyendo.com

San Jose Taiko was founded in 1973 by young Asian Americans searching for an outlet to convey their experiences as third generation Japanese Americans, or Sansei. Looking to Japan for inspiration, they were drawn to the empowering sounds of the taiko.

Since then, San Jose Taiko has become a world-class ensemble, performing extensively both nationally and internationally, reaching more than 75,000 audience members each year. By studying with masters of other traditions and cultures, San Jose Taiko has broadened and embellished this historical art form into a distinct performance style that blends the traditional rhythms of Japanese drumming with the beat of world rhythms, including African, Brazilian, Filipino, Latin and Jazz and is often described as “dancing with drums.” Known for synchronized choreography, eclectic musicality, and joyful spirit, San Jose Taiko performances and instruction are sought throughout the world by taiko fans and practitioners alike.

Kristofer Bergstrom is an accomplished taiko performer, composer, and choreographer, known for pushing the tonal possibilities of Japanese drums and for his groundbreaking movement for slant-style taiko. He was a founding member of On Ensemble, formed Los Angeles Taiko Institute alongside Yuta Kato, and is a City of Los Angeles Artist in Residence.

Website: http://k--b.org

Karen Young is a cultural organizer, artist, and educator living in Boston, MA. Influenced by Japanese-American taiko activists of the 60s, Karen is most interested in the intersection of art, grassroots organizing, and policy. In 2018, she was selected as one of seven Boston AIRs (Artists in Residence) charged with addressing issues of resilience and racial equity by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. She is the founder and artistic director of The Genki Spark, co-founder/co-producer of the Brookline Cherry Blossom Festival, and one of the key organizers behind www.womenandtaiko.org. Karen received her taiko training as a founding member of Odaiko New England under the leadership Elaine Fong, facilitates taiko workshops and discussions throughout North America and Europe, is a TCA Charter Member, and has been part of the North American Taiko Community since 1997.

Roy Hirabayashi, co-founder of San Jose Taiko (SJT) recently celebrated 45 years of playing taiko. For his years of community-building through SJT, he was awarded the 2011 National Endowment of the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Roy has also received the SV Creates Legacy Laureate, San Jose Arts Commission Cornerstone of the Arts, Bunka Hall Fame, and he has been a mentor in the Alliance for California Traditional Arts Master Program. In 2017 he performed at the Smithsonian FolkLife Festival and the Library of Congress Noontime Series. He continues to compose, perform and conduct workshops internationally.

Roy remains active in the national arts community and has served on the boards of Japantown Community Congress of San Jose, School of Arts & Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza, North American Taiko Conference, and is a founding member of 1stACT Silicon Valley, Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute, and Taiko Community Alliance. He is an American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley John W. Gardner Leadership Awardee and a member of the 2017 US-Japan Council Japanese American Leadership Delegation.

PJ Hirabayashi is the founder of Taiko Peace, an initiative to inspire personal, social, and global change through the music and art of taiko drumming. As a certified Peace Ambassador with the Shift Network’s Summer of Peace, PJ bases her current work on Karen Armstrong’s Charter for Compassion. She is a taiko artist/teacher, composer/choreographer, collaborator, mentor, activator/activist, holistic innovator, community-builder, and energy practitioner.

PJ is also an original member of San Jose Taiko, founded in San Jose Japantown in 1973 with her husband, Roy Hirabayashi, and colleagues. After 38+ years of guiding SJT's development, PJ became Artistic Director Emeritus following a successful transition to the next generation of leaders. For all of their work in sharing taiko, PJ and Roy received the National Endowment of the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2011, the USA’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Together, they have been awarded for their work and impact within communities: Silicon Valley Creates Legacy Laureate, San Jose Arts Commission Cornerstone of the Arts, Bunka Hall of Fame, and the Alliance for California Traditional Arts Master Program.

Tiffany Tamaribuchi is co-founder and director of the Sacramento Taiko Dan, professional women’s wadaiko ensemble Jodaiko, and the North American Kasuga Onigumi. She has performed and toured internationally with a number of notable groups and artists from throughout Japan and North America, including Za Ondekoza, Taikoza, and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo.

A certifiable taiko geek, she’s amassed considerable knowledge and experience through the study and performance of a number of different styles of taiko over the past 30+ years of her career, and she now spends the bulk of her time sharing this information as an instructor and workshop facilitator for various groups, conferences, festivals, and programs throughout the US and abroad. Winner of the 2002 OTA-I-KO Ippon-uchi All Japan Odaiko contest, finalist in the first Tokyo International Odaiko Contest, and principal instructor of the annual TaikoBaka Odaiko Intensive, she spends a lot of time wishing people knew she loves, knows, and performs many styles other than odaiko.

Sascha Joined Sacramento Taiko Dan in 2007, and is the Assistant Artistic Director of the group as well and the Director of the Youth Ensemble and Educational Outreach, which provides cultural enrichment to children in grades K-12 throughout Sacramento and the surrounding areas. Sascha has also developed and is currently implementing a Taiko program for schools in the El Dorado Unified School District. Additionally, Sascha is a member of the North American Kasuga Onigumi and the all-female Taiko group Jodaiko.

Chizuko Endo is a multi-talented artist and avid promoter and supporter of Japanese culture through her multiple activities in art and taiko. She began her taiko studies with Seiichi Tanaka and The San Francisco Taiko Dojo in 1978; studied and performed semi-professionally with Oedo Sukeroku Taiko in Tokyo from 1980-1986; and co-founded Taiko Center of the Pacific (TCP), a school of traditional and contemporary Japanese drumming based in Honolulu in 1994. She is a taiko performer and composer; an instructor of taiko at TCP as well as educational programs and residencies throughout the state; designs costumes, t-shirts, and masks; produces high quality taiko performances featuring top name artists from Japan and the US; and is the managing director of TCP. She is a teaching artist with Hawaii Artists in the Schools; received the inaugural “Distinguished Alumni” award from the University of Hawaii School of Hawaiian Asian, and Pacific Studies in 2016; and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii’s “Spirit of Aloha” award in 2017.

Creative and original, Russel Baba is known for an intuitive natural style on sax and woodwinds and as a pioneering American taiko artist. He started taiko in 1972 with Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo and founded Shasta Taiko with Jeanne Mercer in 1985 and the outdoor taiko festival, ShastaYama (2005-2016). Baba has led workshops for North American Taiko Conferences, Collegiate Taiko Invitationals, and the first Summer Taiiko Institute. Russel has produced 5 recordings of original work – Russel Hisashi Baba (1973), Earth Prayer (1992), Spirit Drum (1999), Tadaima & Korewakorewa (2010). Russel’s work has received critical acclaim in national publications – DownBeat, Musician Magazine, Jazz Times, and Cadence Magazine. Baba has toured and recorded with jazz artists – pianist Andrew Hill, violinist Michael White, and drummer Eddie Moore.

Jeanne Aiko Mercer is a pioneering American taiko artist who began taiko training in 1972 under Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka and San Francisco Taiko Dojo. She started Shasta Taiko in 1985 with Russel Baba, and in 2005 they launched the spectacular outdoor taiko festival – ShastaYama. Jeanne has led workshops for North American Taiko Conferences, Collegiate Taiko Invitationals, and the first Summer Taiko Institute. Mercer has contributed to movie soundtracks – The Right Stuff and Star Wars, and is featured in CD recordings – Russel Hisashi Baba, Spiirit Drum, Tadaima, and Korewakorewa. Besides leading Shasta Taiko, she is a member of Tadaima, a creative music ensemble led by Russel Baba. Jeanne is known for her technical skills and creative compositions and continues to dedicate her life to the tradition, innovation, and growth of taiko.

Masato is considered one of America's most outstanding taiko talents. He began taiko training at the age of 6 when his parents, Russel Baba and Jeanne Mercer, founded Shasta Taiko. As a member of Shasta Taiko, he gained the valuable experience performing, teaching, and touring throughout his formative years. Masato polished and refined his taiko skills for over 7 years touring world-wide with renowned American Taiko Master Kenny Endo. Baba then studied taiko in Japan with Nihon Taiko Dojo and fue (Japanese bamboo flute) with Kyosuke Suzuki of the Wakayama School. He has toured the United States, Japan, Macau, and Germany. He now resides in Southern California an serves as the artistic director of TAIKOPROJECT and performs regularly with On Ensemble.

Kristy Oshiro is a freelance taiko artist based in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. She started playing taiko at age 9 in Kona, Hawai’i with Kona Daifukuji Taiko and was an instructor and touring ensemble member of Portland Taiko from 2001-2007 while getting her bachelor’s degree in Music Performance in Percussion at Portland State University. She was also an instructor and youth programs director at Sacramento Taiko Dan from 2007-2014.

Kristy is currently the Artistic Director of the Tsubaki Ensemble, Creative Director of Placer Ume Taiko, founder of Queer Taiko, instructor for San Mateo Buddhist Temple Taiko, a touring member of Taikoza, and has performed and given taiko workshops across the US and in Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, and Colombia.

Yeeman "ManMan" Mui is a creative artist and acclaimed music educator. ManMan teaches at Los Angeles Taiko Institute, and performs and gives workshops to groups around the globe. Passioned by the fluidity residing in movement and propelled by the resonance of vocals and drums, she searches for the connection between body awareness and drumming, exploring the power of sound, and strives to forge new grounds of self-expression and empowerment through music making.

With her passion for bringing communities together through the joy of music and the power of taiko, she founded a parent-child taiko drumming program, Taiko Together for ages 2-6, and also offers a professional development program for music teachers and taiko practitioners titled Taiko FUNdamentals.

As a Taiko Center of the Pacific Fellow in 2012-2014 and performing member from 2013-2017, ManMan received extensive training with taiko artist Kenny Endo, Chizuko Endo and their ensemble. She has an MPhil in Musicology from the University of Hong Kong and is a certified Orff Schulwerk instructor (San Francisco International Orff Level I-III).

David began his musical journey as a clarinet player under the guidance of his father, a professional jazz musician. In 2003, he discovered Stanford Taiko, performing internationally with the group and eventually serving as Artistic co-Director. Since then, David has trained extensively and has performed with such groups as the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble, TAIKOPROJECT, Prota, On Ensemble, and Unit Souzou. He is an instructor at the Los Angeles Taiko Institute and an avid composer, having created works for all of the ensembles with which he has performed in addition to several commissions.

Shoji is a Grammy nominated musician, composer and producer. He started playing taiko at the age of 8 and has spent over 30 years teaching and performing taiko throughout the world. He composed the original score for Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story, Audience Award winner for Best Documentary at the Slamdance Film Festival. He was featured in the music of the hit NBC TV show “Heroes” performed with Stevie Wonder at the 2008 Democratic National Convention and received a Grammy nomination with jazz fusion band Hiroshima for his work on their album Legacy. As a founding member of On Ensemble and the group’s primary creative force he produced On Ensemble’s critically acclaimed albums. In 2014 he partnered with other leading taiko artists and instrument maker Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten to create kaDON.com an online venture dedicated to making high quality instruction, repertoire and instruments accessible to the entire taiko world.

After seven years studying with San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Kato was a leader of UCLA Kyodo Taiko before moving to Japan to study at Nihon Taiko Dojo and on Hachijo island. He performed professionally with TAIKOPROJECT, On Ensemble, Portland Taiko, and coordinated the 2011 North American Taiko Conference before turning his attention to taiko teaching. Kato currently resides in California serving as the principal and instructor for LATI (Los Angeles Taiko Institute) housed at the state-of-the-art taiko facility - Asano Taiko US. He performs as a member of UnitOne (Torrance, CA).

Taiko SOBA is a diverse group of individuals representing a variety of backgrounds, including collegiate taiko, Dharma School taiko, and taiko groups across the globe. The ensemble was formed in 2016 by friends searching for a place to play taiko together again, and it found its home under the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple Dharma School. Taiko SOBA aims to foster the growth of its members, not only as performers, but as students and teachers of taiko as well.

Benji has been a performing member of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo for the past 6 years. Before that he played in Yamatai (Cornell Taiko), and Stanford Taiko, and was an orchestral percussionist, jazz vibraphonist, and marimba soloist. He lives in San Francisco and works as a Machine Learning Engineer at a small healthcare startup.

Vicky started playing taiko in 2011 with Stanford Taiko. After graduating, she helped start Taiko SOBA in 2016, and continues to enjoy playing with friends and developing the group. She joined Unit Souzou soon after, and has worked intensively with the ensemble on several productions. Vicky is also a member of Jun Daiko, a gathering of friends who love taiko, as well as Ensohza, a Japanese folk dance group based in San Francisco.

Josh Yoon is currently a PhD candidate at Stanford. He was a former member of Stanford Taiko for 4 years (2013-2017) and played rhythm guitar in a rock band, named Yacc, back in college. When he's not writing his dissertation, he's probably working on his pencil spinning technique.

Alex was raised in Hong Kong with minimal musical experience, and began playing taiko with Stanford Taiko his freshman year. He was a member of ST for four years, culminating in his last year as Artistic Director, and is now a member of TaikoSOBA.

Zach was born and raised in the Bay Area. Having studied classical piano, jazz, and Tahitian dance and percussion for more than 10 years, Zach started playing taiko with Stanford Taiko in his freshman year and eventually was an Artistic Director in his last year with the group.