I've set up some appointments for interviews and performances with groups in the local San Diego area, those being both Naruwan Taiko and San Diego Taiko as I had previously mentioned in a post. I have been to their practices before in the past and I have had a blast, but I am looking forward to be able to look at practices from a different perspective - looking at the dynamics between the members and their interactions with the drums, their colleagues, their repertoire and so on and so forth.
I'm also in the process of setting up interviews (formal or informal) with some very distinguished taiko masters who have had very long professional careers. That won't happen until Memorial Day Weekend, which is the date of the 19th Annual Intercollegiate Taiko Invitational which we are hosting for the very first time. There's a lot of stress going into an event that costs $40K to run - especially since it's our first time. You all should check it out, there are free concerts on Saturday and Sunday featuring collegiate groups from around the country.
Enough of my personal shenanigans though. I'm very excited for this event because I can get a chance to talk to a lot of people who share similar interests and I can get a lot of perspective on aspects like authenticity and the concept of traditional in repertoire as well as the connection to Japanese culture that the group and individual may have. Also, if there's a difference for those who are of Japanese American heritage and those who are not. There are many things that I can talk about with everyone. Also, I have found out that one of the Taiko masters has a degree in ethnomusicology, which I find particularly awesome!
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