 |
|
|
|
June 2006
|
What's Happening with SYTE!
We would like to welcome new member Naoko Amemiya who stepped in as our fourth performer when former member Bruce Ghent left the ensemble to pursue other interests and directions. We feel fortunate to have Naoko with us. She brings a breath of fresh air to the ensemble's work, spirit and vision, not to mention her excellent taiko skills and extensive background in dance. She is a perfect complement to the company's blend of creative and performing aesthetics. Currently on maternity leave, Naoko will be back in the mix very soon, so watch out! Our congratulations to Naoko and husband Andy whose first child Gen was born on March 19. You can read more about Naoko in the bio section of our newsletter.
We also welcome Kazuyo Ito who was SYTE's special guest artist for our 2006 Pacific Northwest and Southwest Tours. Kazuyo is a member of Portland Taiko and has been filling in while Naoko is on maternity leave. She is a dynamic performer and her vibrant spirit shines on stage and off. Thank you Kazuyo.
We returned from our Pacific Northwest Tour to Idaho and Oregon at the end of January. The second tour was through the Southwest in April/May with five cities in New Mexico, plus a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah on the way down. These were full evening performances . We have been blessed with playing in some beautiful venues which is a great way to experience SYTE in a complete theater setting with lighting and costumes. We are planning to finish up our 2006 touring season in December in Minneapolis for MU Performances.
Our future tours include a collaborative project with the very popular group ON Ensemble based in Los Angeles. We will be doing a split show with On Ensemble with a collaborative finale piece. We are looking forward to playing with one of the most creative taiko ensembles on the horizon. They are superb musicians, creative and nice folks to boot. Stay tuned for more on this exciting tour billed as "Taiko X 2".
SYTE Southwest Tour 2006
After 24 days on the road, six full evening performances and eight youth and adult lecture/demonstrations, SYTE recently returned to the Bay Area gratified and invigorated. The tour began with a rousing performance at the 1,900-seat Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on April 14th, then SYTE made their way to Denver where they shared stories and performing with veteran and current members of Denver Taiko. From there they moved on to Las Cruces, Silver City, Alamogordo, Socorro and Tucumcari, all in southern New Mexico. Audiences were amazing and they literally jumped to their feet after each performance. Needless to say, much appreciation goes to multi-talented lighting designer Charles Griswold and guest artist from Portland Taiko Kazuyo Ito, who were invaluable in their many contributions to this tour's success.
|
|
|
SYTE Home Season Concert 2006
|
|
|
SYTE is excited to be premiering for its 2006 Home Season Concert a new collaborative, cross-cultural performance entitled "Runaway Moon." Once again exploring uncharted ground, this piece is inspired by a childrenxs story illustrated in Japanese sumi-e ink painting by Bay Area painter and storybook author Minette Mangahas and will be brought to life on stage with violinist, cellist, movement and mime artist Jeannie Mckenzie.This simple story of a horse seemingly being chased by the moon intrigued us to produce a performance that speaks to young and old on many levels with a theme that could be a metaphor for our current fears in post-9/11 America. We are proud to have the opportunity to work with such outstanding artists.
The performances will take place November 17 - 19 at SomArts Cultural Center Theater. Stay tuned for further announcements as opening night approaches!
|
|
|
|
The Ephemeral Sounds of Somei Yoshino CD Review
|
|
 |
In the January 4-17, 2006 issue of the International Examiner, Journal of the Northwest Asian Pacific American Communities newspaper, SYTE was described as "an exciting voice in the rapidly proliferating Bay Area taiko scene." Stan Shikuma, International Examiner Contributor and long-time taiko player, teacher and writer in the Seattle area reviewed our first CD Out of the Box with a discerning ear and astute understanding of the complexities of the art of taiko. He describes it as "a seamless integration of taiko with strings, woodwinds, vocals and percussion, providing each a clear and distinct voice." He goes on to say that the "CD itself is superbly engineered and gets a full range of sound from the four main players and their guest artists; it is a showcase for their technical expertise, power, precision and masterful arrangements." Describing his seeing SYTE in concert, he comments "as much as I enjoyed the CD, the theater aspects, movements and drum arrangements cannot be appreciated in a recording...a live performance is even richer...Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble truly plays "out of the box", and then some."
|
|
CDs may be ordered by phone or email.
|
|
 |
Naoko Amemiya grew up in the Bay Area and has a strong background in dance and choreography. She earned her B.A. in dance at Wesleyan University, with a focus on Asian American choreographers. She found taiko to be a natural extension of her love of movement and music and in 1993 began study with Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka's San Francisco Taiko Dojo, which she later joined as a performing member.
In 2000 Naoko joined Portland Taiko's core artistic staff. Besides touring nationally with Portland Taiko's professional touring ensemble, she was active in composition, instruction, and educational presentations.
In 2003-4 she was a member of TAIKOPROJECT, a Los Angeles-based taiko theater production. Naoko has an M.A. in Japanese and also translates Japanese children's books and manga into English.
|
 |
Kazuyo Ito was born in Japan and moved to the U.S. in 1996. She performed in Florida with the Japanese taiko group Matsuriza at the Walt Disney World EPCOT Center for seven years. She studied taiko in Japan to discover more about the roots of taiko and then traveled to the U.S. to explore American taiko. Her passion for taiko has never stopped.
|
|
|
|
SYTE Launches New Website
|
|
|
We are proud to announce the launching of our recently revamped website at http://www.taikoensemble.com! A big thanks to Kristen McDonnell of Studio Kristen (see below) for her beautiful new design and her special abilities to capture the feeling of taiko. Please visit to learn more about Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble. Download samples of our music and catch video clips of us in action. Our new site includes a links page to our fellow artists and friends, a new page called "Different", as well as booking information for our agent Rachel Cohen of Cadence Arts Network, Inc. We think you will find it easier to navigate, more entertaining and loaded with more information about SYTE.
Studio Kristen - Website Design for Life. Kristen's compelling websites vividly communicate the spirit of nonprofits and the arts. Considered an "artist at what she does," Kristen communicates your mission and events with flair. Her love for designing websites assures that your finished project exceeds your expectations. Based in San Francisco, Kristen enjoys cherished, long-term relationships with referral-driven clients nationwide.
Recent artist clients include Alonzo King's LINES Ballet, Robert Moses' Kin, Company C Contemporary Ballet, Teen Dance Company, and of course Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble.
|
|
|
|
Film Soundtrack - The Last Run
|
|
SYTE completed a soundtrack performance which was used for the film The Last Run (Run It Raw Productions) which has a TBA release date. Taiko duties performed by Hiroyuki "Jimi" Nakagawa, audio engineering Kallan Nishimoto. The score was composed by Laura Karpman, four-time Emmy Award for film scoring and composition.
|
|
SYTE also worked on the music for a soon to be released Sony Playstation II game. Stay tuned for details. You will hear a variety of Japanese flutes, taiko, bamboo and shamisen. |
 |
Kizakura is the name of the educational branch of SYTE and also the name of its performing group formed in February of 2005. We began teaching taiko classes 6 years ago. The Kizakura performing group made their debut at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple's "Satsuki Festival" last May. Since then they have been performing at various venues in Northern CA including the Japanese Gardens in Hayward, Google in Mountain View, the Oakland Museum and most recently at the Women's Capoeira Conference in Oakland.
Several Kizakura members were also involved with the group Tsukimi Kai that traveled to Cuba in August of 2005, bringing the sounds of taiko to Cuba.
|
|
|
|
Donations to SYTE & Kizakura
|
|
Your donation to SYTE will also help Kizakura blossom!
|
|
| Kizakura Taiko (KT), named after a cherry tree with yellow blossoms, is a budding taiko group. There are twelve members ranging from ages 13 to 71 with 5 -10 years each of taiko training and performance experience. KT promotes understanding and respect for cultural traditions and values of Japanese taiko.
Kizakura was formed in 2001 as an educational branch of Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble (SYTE). Under the careful training and guidance of SYTE members Jimi Nakagawa, Kallan Nishimoto and Ellen Bepp, a core of advanced Kizakura students who aspired to reach a higher level of skill, cohesion and artistry formed a performance group in February 2005. Their debut was held in May 2005 at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple's Satsuki Arts Festival. Subsequent performances in 2005 included the National Japanese American Historical Society's fundraiser, Shibata Gardens 2005: Celebrating Rural Legacies, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach's 30th Anniversary Celebration at Google, and the Berkeley Art Museum's Taisho Chic exhibition. Kizakura Taiko is emerging with a repertoire in the tradition of SYTE but developing a unique style and group dynamic of its own.
Currently KT is training, rehearsing and performing with borrowed drums and rudimentary practice equipment, but increasing public performances have motivated the group to take the next step and build their own set of taiko. The labor to build the drums will be done collectively by the members and their families and friends under the guidance of Bay Area taiko drum builder Toshi Kato and Jimi Nakagawa.
Your help is needed! Drum building is an expensive endeavor. With your support, Kizakura Taiko can realize its initial goal of building 4 chudaiko (medium size) and 2 odaiko (large size) at a cost of $600 each, as well as purchasing 4 shime daiko (at $1,200 each). Financial support of any amount is greatly appreciated. Your donation to SYTE will also help KT meet their drum building goal of $9,000. Please note that donations of $100 or more are tax-deductible ---checks should be made payable to SYTE's fiscal sponsor, APICC (Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center), with "SYTE" in the memo line. Donations less than $100 can be made payable to Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble but are NOT tax-deductible. Our donation form is attached which can be mailed back to Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble, 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.
We thank you for your support. Your contribution to Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble will help both SYTE and KT blossom. We will be sure to notify you of future performances with our new drums! For more information about Kizakura Taiko, please contact Kallan Nishimoto at 510-835-9155.
|
|
|
|
|
|
SYTE Mission Statement/Artistic Statement
|
|
 |
Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble (SYTE) was founded in 1999 to explore and develop works that incorporate taiko (Japanese drumming) with other types of performance art.
Named after one of the most beautiful cherry blossom trees in Japan, Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble is inspired to balance the sensitive and elegant aspects of taiko playing with the strong and powerful. SYTE is comprised of four multi-faceted and classically trained artists who work with theater and dance as well as with other musicians from diverse musical backgrounds.
Somei Yoshino Taiko Ensemble brings a new perspective to the art of taiko by focusing on modern compositions and visual motifs that step outside the mainstream.
|
|
SYTE endeavors to pursue our mission of creating work that not only crosses barriers but simply reminds us of who we are as human beings. We also feel an obligation as taiko "elders" to present a worthy example of this art in the quality and integrity of our work. To do so we count on you, our many supporters, to help sustain us and allow us to nurture the next generation of taiko.
|
If you wish to have your name removed from our distribution list,
please reply to this email with "DELETE" in the subject line.
|
|
|
- Naoko Amemiya
