Premier Toronto taiko group ‘Nagata Shachu’ continue their 18th annual concert season titled ‘Toronto Taiko Tales – Global Beats from Around the City’ in the vibrant community of Regent Park. They reach out with a series of four concerts featuring new, original live performance works and launch their new and fourth DVD ‘Toronto Taiko Tales’ on April 7, 8 and 9, 2017 (including two weekend matinee shows).

VIDEO (DVD Preview): https://youtu.be/WDQz2sEHgvs.

WHEN:

Friday, April 7 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 8 at 2:00 p.m. (matinee).
Saturday, April 8 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 9 at 2:00 p.m. (matinee).

HOW MUCH: Advance tickets are $20.00 (seniors, students, arts workers) to $30.00 (adults). 

Box Office; http://www.nativeearth.ca/taiko/.

FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/260582211021989

Artistic director Kiyoshi Nagata states, “In our 18^th season, Nagata Shachu is excited to be celebrating new performance pieces and the official release of our new DVD ‘Toronto Taiko Tales’ in the area where the DVD was filmed, one of Toronto's most ethnically diverse and culturally active neighbourhoods – Regent Park. The sound of the drum is a universal language that has the power to bring people together. It is our hope that our Taiko can play a positive role in the community.”

In addition to providing a number of free and discounted tickets to the public concerts through Artscape, Nagata Shachu will perform two afternoon concerts on Friday, April 7 specifically donated to local children in the Regent Park neighbourhood at Sprucecourt and Nelson Mandela Park Public Schools.

Nagata Shachu thanks community partners and organizations involved with the Regent Park concerts: Artscape, Pathways to Education, Regent Park School of Music, Centre for Social Innovation and Native Earth Performing Arts.

Nagata Shachu members are Kiyoshi Nagata (taiko, shinobue/flute), Aki Takahashi (shamisen, vocals), Tony Nguyen (taiko), Kayo Homma-Komori (taiko), Jason Huang (taiko) and Naoya Kobayashi (taiko).

Nagata Shachu has toured extensively (most recently played at the Centre for Social Innovation’s gala opening event for its ‘Toronto for Everyone’ initiative), and played rare collaborations with artists including pianist Ron Davis’ jazz/string ensemble Symphronica, acclaimed percussion quartet TorQ and Juno nominated Toronto Tabla Ensemble. Nagata Shachu has previously released six original CDs (latest; Hymus Road, 2013) and three DVDs.

Kiyoshi Nagata is Canada’s pre-eminent taiko soloist, whose career spans over three decades. His principal studies were with ‘Kodo’ in Japan and Daihachi Oguchi (artistic director of Toronto’s Suwa Daiko). In 1998, he founded Nagata Shachu, and currently teaches at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music and at the Royal Conservatory of Music.

ARTIST WEBSITE: http://nagatashachu.com.