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About Us
Makoto
Taiko, originally Shumei America Taiko Group, was born in 1999 under the leadership
of Steven Tokunaga in Pasadena, CA. Steven had undergone intensive taiko training
with the renowned Shumei Taiko Ensemble in Japan before founding Makoto Taiko almost a decade later.
Makoto Taiko continues to expand in number
with members from all over the Los Angeles area and performs at an ever-expanding list of events and venues throughout the U.S. including the Prayer Vigil for the Earth in Washington D.C., the Catskill Mountain Cultural Festival in New York, the Cathedral of the Lady of Angels in downtown Los Angeles, Shamballah LA in Hollywood, the United States Martial Arts Festival at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo and more.
In 2009, Makoto Taiko celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a wonderful concert in August at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse featuring collaborations with a number of accomplished guest artists including Grammy Award-winner Paul Winter, Tibetan singer Yanjin Lamu, and Grand Taiko Master Seiichi Tanaka.
Makoto Taiko is based in Pasadena, CA near Los Angeles and performs under the instruction of Koji Nakamura, former leader of the Shumei Taiko Ensemble and a 2007 Grammy Award-winner as a participating artist in Paul Winter's collaborative CD album, "Crestone."
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