User:Taiko Player/sandbox

TaikOz is an Australian Taiko drumming ensemble, established in 1997 by Ian Cleworth and Riley Lee. They perform throughout Australia and internationally in schools, corporate events, festivals and public events. Their rehearsal studio, commonly referred to as the Dojo are located in Ultimo, NSW. TaikOz is comprised of eight members: Ian Cleworth (Artistic Director), Riley Lee, Graham Hilgendorf, Masae Ikegawa, Kerryn Joyce, Kevin Man, Anton Lock and Tom Royce-Hampton.

Since 1997 TaikOz has established a unique performance aesthetic that reflects the group’s passionate dedication to the forms of wadaiko and a desire to create new music for today’s audiences. The fundamental basis of TaikOz’s performance reflects three principal areas of creative endeavour: the creation of new taiko music by Australian and international composers, the study and performance of drum and flute music from Japan, and the interpretation of music of contemporary Japanese composers. From this basis TaikOz has developed its own sound by drawing upon the input of its members, whose musical backgrounds range from years of study and performance in Japanese traditional music, symphonic music, jazz and pop, as well as esteemed colleagues and teachers in Japan such as Eitetsu Hayashi, Fuun no Kai, past members of Sado no Kuni Ondekoza, and composer friends and artists, Meryl Tankard, Regis Lansac, Gerard Brophy, John Bell, Michael Askill , Timothy Constable, Graham Koehne and Andrea Molino. TaikOz have created over twenty-five original works for wadaiko, often featuring such instruments as shakuhachi, shinobue, nôkan, koto, voice, percussion, marimba, saxophone, guitar and didgeridoo. The group has released three CDs and a DVD, which was recorded live in Sydney's City Recital Hall, Angel Place. Over the years the group developed into a Taiko school, holding a range of classes for those wishing to learn to play the Taiko drum.

Sydney Festival First Night (2010)

John Bell and The Bell Shakespeare Company in William Shakespeare's Pericles (2009)

Senior members of Kodo - Yoshikazu Fujimoto, Chieko Kojima, Yoko Fujimoto, Motofumi Yamaguchi and Eiichi Saito (2009)

Meryl Tankard in Kaidan: A Ghost Story - Sydney Festival at the Sydney Opera House (2007) World Premiere Work

Eitetsu Hayashi and Fuun no Kai in Australia and Japan (2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008)

Wadaiko Matsumura-gumi in Australia and Japan (2004, 2005)

National Theatre of Japan, Tokyo (2008) Hibike Festival, Echizen (2005) Kaikyôsai Festival, Kobe (2001)

Mono-Prism by Maki Ishii with the Sydney, Melbourne, West Australian and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, and conductors Hiroyuki Iwaki, Ryusuke Numajiri and David Porcilijn (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2009, 2010)

Book Of Clouds by Gerard Brophy with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Riley Lee, shakuhachi and Synergy Percussion, conducted by Tadaaki Otaka (2008) World Premiere Work

Winners by Andrea Molino and the Queensland Symphony at the Brisbane Festival and Dresden Sinfoniker at the Pompidou Centre, Paris (2006) World Premiere Work

Shifting Sand (2012 - upcoming)

Blessings Of The Earth (2010)

The Gathering (2008)

Da Ha-Pounding Wave (2006)

Limelight "Best New Composition Award" for Kaidan (2007)

Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award in recognition of TaikOz's commitment to Australian music (2006)

Drover Award for regional touring and education (2005)

Ian has been Artistic Director of TaikOz since its inception in 1997. In 2005 he became full-time with the group after having spent 20 years as Principal Percussionist with the Sydney Symphony and 16 years with the percussion group Synergy. At age 19, Ian began wadaiko study in Japan with Sen Amano of Yamanashi-ken and performed throughout the islands of Honshu and Shikoku with Amano’s ensemble, Arahan. Since then he has undertaken study and performance with Japan's greatest taiko soloist, Eitetsu Hayashi. In 2004 Ian was invited to the Tokyo Summer Festival for a performance of Maki Ishii’s Monochrome as a guest member of Eitetsu Fuun-no-Kai. With the Sydney Symphony Ian played under such conducting greats as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit, Mariss Jansons and Edo de Waart, and has performed in some of the world’s finest concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and London’s Royal Albert Hall. As a soloist Ian premiered and recorded Ross Edwards’ Yarrageh: Nocturne for Percussion and Orchestra and with his Synergy colleagues and Toru Takemitsu’s From Me Flows What You Call Time. During his years with Synergy Ian was involved with the presentation of the latest works for percussion, including numerous premieres of Australian and international composers. With Synergy he toured Australia, the UK, France, Hungary, Sweden, Taiwan, Japan, Poland, Germany and Singapore and worked with some of the world’s finest musicians, including Fritz Hauser, Trilok Gurtu, Mike Nock, Hossam Ramzy, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Kazue Sawai, Palle Mikkelborg and Dave Samuels. Ian was Co-Artistic Director of Synergy Percussion from 2000 until 2003. In 2007 Ian received the APRA-AMC Classical Music Award for Long-term Contribution For The Advancement Of Australian Music.

Riley Lee was born in Texas, and lived in Oklahoma until 1966, when his family moved to Hawaii. He began playing the shakuhachi in Japan in 1970. In 1973 Riley began playing wadaiko with the group Sado no Kuni Ondekoza, now called Kodo, performing throughout Japan and internationally for nearly four years. In 1980, he became the first ever non-Japanese shakuhachi dai shihan (Grand Master). His shakuhachi teacher since 1984 is master Katsuya Yokoyama. Riley, his partner/manager Patricia Lee and their twin girls moved to Australia that same year. Riley has a PhD in Musicology from Sydney University. In 2003, Riley became the first shakuhachi specialist to be invited by Princeton University (USA) as one of its Visiting Fellows and was subsequently invited back in 2009 and 2011 as guest lecturer in Princeton’s Comparative Literature Department. Over 50 of his recordings have been released on international labels. In 1997, he co-founded TaikOz with Ian Cleworth and the Australian Shakuhachi Society with Patricia Lee. Riley performs regularly in Australia and abroad, both as a soloist and in collaboration with other musicians, notably harpist Marshall McGuire, Trikaya, Synergy and TaikOz. In 2005, he premiered Ross Edward’s shakuhachi concerto, Heart of Night with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, performing it again with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra in April 2006. In January 2007, Riley performed to sell out audiences at the Sydney Opera House in Kaidan: A Ghost Story, a collaboration between TaikOz and choreographer Meryl Tankard. In 2008 he also appeared as a soloist in the world premiere of Gerard Brophy’s Book of Clouds, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Synergy and TaikOz. Riley was the Artistic Director and Chair of the Executive Committee of the 2008 Sydney World Shakuhachi Festival.

Graham joined TaikOz in 1998. He traveled to Japan in 2001 and studied under the guidance of Eitetsu Hayashi and performed with TaikOz in Kanazawa, Kobe and Manno. Graham is also a freelance modern jazz drummer and percussionist. After completing percussion studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music he founded the percussion ensemble B'tutta. Graham composes for both B'tutta and TaikOz, including the popular Chi and Daichi that features his original katsugi-okedo/chappa style. Graham spent most of 2005 living, studying and playing in Japan where he had the opportunity to study under Wakayama-ryu leader and master of the O-Edobayashi style, Kyosuke Suzuki. An interest in the traditional Hachijyo style of taiko playing took him to Hachijo Island for further study with Takashi Kikuchi.

Masae was born in Kagawa, Shikoku, Japan. At age 5 she joined Marugame Daiko where she studied and performed many styles including O-Edo Sukeroku Daiko. In 1997 she joined Manno Daiko, a taiko group based in Manno town, Kagawa. With Manno Daiko Masae performed their original music as well as the music of Kan Toko, one of the pioneers of modern taiko. Between 1997 and 1999 Masae performed regularly with Manno Daiko throughout the Kagawa and Kansai areas, as well as a tour to the USA. Deciding to travel, study and perform wadaiko, Masae arrived in Sydney in 1999 and joined TaikOz in 2000. She is now actively involved in teaching and performing. Since 2000, Masae has regularly returned to Japan to study with many master wadaiko players, including Eitetsu Hayashi, Kyosuke Suzuki (O-Edobayashi), Takashi Kikuchi (Hachijo Daiko) and Akio Tsumura (Miyake Daiko).

Kerryn joined TaikOz in 2001 and is regularly seen on stage as a taiko player, dancer, singer and shinobue player. Kerryn recently began study of Japanese traditional folk dances with Kodo member Chieko Kojima and folk songs, lullabies and Ainu songs with Yoko Fujimoto, also of Kodo. Kerryn is currently TaikOz's Education Co-ordinator, establishing events and opportunities for school students to work with members of TaikOz. She is a sought after performer and educator, taiko and percussion teacher and eisteddfod adjudicator. Kerryn graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the University of Queensland, a Postgraduate Diploma from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and continues to extend her studies in Japan. Kerryn has written a number of works for the percussion duo Karak Percussion and TaikOz. Past compositions include works for theatre/dance productions including Frank Productions and the Queensland Ballet.

Kevin’s musical background includes an A.Mus.A diploma in piano, playing bass guitar in a rock band and classical percussion studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree. Kevin joined The Queensland Orchestra in 1999, followed by membership of TaikOz in 2002. In order to pursue his interest in wadaiko Kevin left the orchestra in 2003 to focus on study of taiko, shinobue and shakuhachi. Kevin has undergone intensive training with Miyake Daiko teacher Akio Tsumura, O-Edobayashi wadaiko and shinobue with Kyosuke Suzuki, Onikenbai dance and shinobue with Yoshikazu Fujimoto (Kodo) and Iwasaki Onikenbai. Kevin has held numerous performing and teaching positions including Acting Chair of Percussion Unit, Sydney Conservatorium in 2005, and Acting Head of Percussion, Queensland Conservatorium in 2003. Kevin is also active as a freelance classical musician, performing with groups including the Sydney Symphony and Australian Chamber Orchestra, and is also involved in the contemporary percussion duo, Karak Percussion - a group he founded in 2001 with fellow TaikOz member Kerryn Joyce. In addition to performing and teaching, Kevin is currently undertaking a Master of Music Degree in Shakuhachi under the direction of Riley Lee at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Anton attended the Sydney Conservatorium High School and was the first student to perform on taiko for the HSC. He received top honours for his recital and was subsequently selected to open the proceedings at the Premier’s Awards and to present an item at the Opera House Encore performance – a concert given by the outstanding HSC musicians of 2003. Anton received his first instruction from TaikOz members, as well as Fuun no Kai member - and past TaikOz member - Kenichi Koizumi. He became a full-time member of the group in 2006. In 2007 and 2008 Anton traveled to Sado Island and was taught Onikenbai, a traditional performing art of Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture by Yoshikazu Fujimoto of Kodo. He is contiuning his study of Onikenbai with the original Iwasaki Onikenbai masters.

Tom became a member of TaikOz in 2007 after having completed two years of Advanced Study training. Since joining TaikOz, Tom has travelled to Japan to further his studies in wadaiko, including workshops with the head of Miyake Daiko, Akio Tsumura and Onikenbai with Iwasaki Onikenbai. Tom completed a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Music majoring in Percussion. He studied with prominent Melbourne percussionists Sergi Golovko, Barry Quinn, Guy du Blet and Peter Neville, and drum set with Australian jazz great Graeme Morgan. Tom has also been involved in many live and studio recordings including Mutant Theatre and acclaimed Melbourne composer Anthony Paterus.