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Event
Portland Taiko, Guest Artist Kenny Endo in Connections
Portland Taiko's annual fall concert celebrates Kenny Endo's 40th year as a taiko performer. The concert, entitled Taiko Connections, explores the connections between Kenny Endo and Portland Taiko, connections between traditional and modern taiko repertoire, and Portland Taiko's connections with the Asian American community.
Portland Taiko has worked with Kenny Endo on multiple projects. In 2000, Portland Taiko was selected by the American Composers Forum to represent Oregon in the Continental Harmony endeavor, resulting in a collaboration with Kenny Endo in his new composition, Wind, Water and Wood. In addition, Endo returned to Portland in 2006 and 2011 for guest performances with Portland Taiko. The 2015 concert reinforces these strong connections between Portland Taiko and Kenny Endo.
The first half of the concert will feature Portland Taiko's unique blend of exuberant drumming, movement, and gentle lyricism provided by the fue (Japanese flute) and violin. Signature compositions such as Ha! and TaikoKinesis will be presented along with the debut of Unity, a new work by violinist and drummer Keiko Araki. In addition, Portland Taiko will pay tribute to its former artistic director Michelle Fujii with a new version of her open source composition Korekara. The second half of the concert will feature the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble with Endo, Kaoru Watanabe (fue), Hitoshi Hamada (vibraphone), and Eien Hunter-Ishikawa (percussion).
Portland Taiko is an award-winning Asian American drumming ensemble. By combining traditional and contemporary compositions and choreography, Portland Taiko takes Asian American music into unexplored territory with innovative and provocative creations.
The group was formed in 1994 by Ann Ishimaru, Zachary Semke, and dedicated community members. From 2006 to 2014, Michell Fujii infused movement into PT's repertoire as its artistic director, and now, Portland Taiko runs as an artistic collective with input from longtime members and the new Executive Director. Through these changes, Portland Taiko remains dedicated to taiko and its connections to the Asian American community.
Kenny Endo is one of the leading artists in contemporary percussion and rhythm. He is the vanguard of the taiko genre, continuing to pave new paths in this Japanese style drumming even after forty years as a career taiko player. A performer, composer, and teacher of taiko with numerous awards and accolades, Kenny Endo is a consummate artist, blending Japanese taiko with rhythms influenced from around the world into original melodies and improvisation.
Originally trained as a jazz musician, Endo began his taiko career with Kinnara Taiko in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. In 1980, he embarked on a decade-long odyssey in his ancestral Japan, studying and performing with the masters of ancient classical drumming, traditional Tokyo festival music, and ensemble drumming. Endo has the honor of being the first non-Japanese national to have received a natori (stage name Mochizuki Tajiro and master's degree) in hogaku hayashi (classical drumming).
The concert takes place at the St. Anne's Chapel at Marylhurst University on Sunday, October 18, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.
(photo credit: Darian Wong)
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LocationSaint Anne's Chapel, Marylhurst University (View)
17600 Pacific Highway (Hwy 43)
Marylhurst, OR 97036
United States
Categories
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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