Spring is the busy season for Odaiko New England. It’s the time of year when everyone wants to have taiko at their outdoor festivals. It’s also my personal busy season… I know I’m not the only taiko player to have a difficult time balancing work, life, and taiko, so I imagine my spring will sound familiar to a lot of folks out there. It all started in April, right after we got our new ONE jackets and other gear… […]
|
|
|||
 Spiking the stage On April 17, Odaiko New England’s (almost) full contingent – Ensemble and Community – trekked to Bellows Falls, VT to perform at the Opera House as part of the Stone Church Arts Series. Kristen and Shigeru playing Senryū I have had great vacations in Vermont, but was unfamiliar […]  I cannot believe the amazing taiko opportunities that 2009 has brought me. I was lucky enough to have played in at least 33 shows. Each one taught me something about taiko, performance or myself. I decided to write down a thought about each one as way to summarize my year. My snow driving skills put […]  “We’re gathering our extended taiko family for the holidays,” I wrote on our website to promote ONE’s 2nd annual Winter Extravaganza. It was an ironic statement for me, since my own family would not be coming. And so it was that I left my taiko widower and orphans at home to take part in our […]  Saturday night we performed for Zenshinkan Dojo, an Aikido Dojo in Worcester, to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Close to 100 members were gathered to recognize two decades of hard work. People got up and told passionate stories of commitment, personal transformation, friendships, and people working tirelessly on behalf of the group. And they talked about […]  Rockin' out on Shin-en With festival pieces like “Matsuri” and “Shin-en” in our repertoire, it was only natural that Odaiko New England would be invited to perform for the Allston Village Street Fair. Dubbed an “urban Mardi Gras”, this event featured many different bands and performers, and we were thrilled to be adding […]  The Performance Tent The expected email from Juni arrived shortly after noon. The gig was on! The forecast had been unsettled, with rain predicted for our evening outdoor performance in Leominster, MA. I had been checking regional satellite images all morning, and I wasn’t seeing a problem. Time to wrap up my work, […] On July 29 ONE introduced its brand of high-energy, engaging and entertaining taiko to Chelmsford, MA for one of the town’s “World Wide Wednesdays” concerts. It was a fun gig, rather like a combination of a Young Audiences show and concert. Mark started things off with some lively katsugi okedo playing, then the rest of […]  Author’s note: I wrote the following shortly after our 15th anniversary concert (reVISION on May 30 and 31), but found myself feeling shy about sharing this with the world, so I didn’t publish it right away. Just over a week has passed since ONE’s 15th anniversary concert, reVISION. Everyday life is flowing by so fast […]  Great news! Odaiko New England has been selected to perform at this year’s Taiko 10!!! The Taiko 10 is a free outdoor community concert held in association with the North American Taiko Conference, a biennial gathering of taiko enthusiasts from all over the world, which is taking place in Los Angeles on August 7-9 this […] |
ONE is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency 
 |
||
|
Copyright © 2024 Odaiko New England - All Rights Reserved Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
|||