Join a panel of academics, artists and activists involved in the taiko community as they discuss the role taiko has in the community and how the art form and its values are adapting in a changing world. Panelists include ethnomusicologist Deborah Wong, Winter Quarter Ethnomusicology Visiting Artist Shoji Kameda, and taiko artist and activist Stan Shikuma.
This event is co-sponsored by the University of Washington School of Music, Asian Languages and Literature and American Ethnic Studies.
Biographies
Shoji Kameda 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.
Stan Shikuma is a Seattle-based taiko performer, composer, percussionist, and social activist who plays with Seattle Kokon Taiko and directs Kaze Daiko (youth group). Past projects include work on new opera, Butoh dance, puppet theatre, and silent film scores. Writings include Taiko Tidbits and Taiko Talk.
Deborah Wong is an ethnomusicologist and chair of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Riverside. Her latest book is Louder and Faster: Pain, Joy, and the Body Politic in Asian American Taiko (2019). Her happiest hours are spent hosting the weekly radio show Gold Mountain for KUCR 88.3 FM.