Background Information

Group History
Describe how, where, and why the ensemble was founded. What was its inspiration?

ShinDaiko is a Japanese taiko drumming ensemble based in Greater Boston, founded in 2012. We are proud to showcase the intensity, passion and history of Japanese drumming, a tradition spanning thousands of years.

We call ourselves a Contemporary Taiko Ensemble. We play many traditional drumming pieces passed down to us from artists in Japan, but we also enjoy exploring modern melodies and sounds with our multi-instrumentalist roster of musicians. The Japanese character “Shin” in ShinDaiko means “advancing” or “moving forward.” We seek to always be moving forward in our musical vision, to explore new ideas and concepts, and to weave the powerful sounds of taiko with other musical influences to create our own distinct melody.

We specialize in live performances at public and private events in the Greater Boston area as well as around New England. We really love a great, eclectic music festival, arts demonstration, or Asian/Asian-American celebration to showcase our big drums. We also feature a quieter, more melodic “coffee shop set” for more intimate gatherings, featuring the talents of our members on instruments such as the shinobue (Japanese flute) and sanshin (Okinawan 3 stringed lute).

Performances, Recordings, Publications

Performances
List a selection of your regular performance venues (for example, Denver Sakura Matsuri, Seabrook obon, business conventions, Manzanar Pilgrimage, Maui Marathon, etc.)

National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, D.C.

Manjiro Festival, Fairhaven MA

Black Ships Festival, Newport RI

Audio & Video Recordings
List a selection of publicly accessible audio and/or video recordings featuring the ensemble.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5opooK6M5X16taBitm9IjS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kgnmKRd4ERKHXRCv7d1L2lMb7S5_8FGpY