News

Midnight Taiko members love performing throughout the year, and 2020 was off to a strong start with our February Family Day shows at two local Calgary libraries. We came off of a productive winter as our members and apprentices had been learning and improving through those months. Our stage manager for the show, Karen, built some solid plans and we played hard. It felt fantastic! But by March 12, …

What is it like to learn shamisen? The shamisen is a three stringed traditional instrument from Japan. I’ve heard of the shamisen in passing, but it wasn’t until I saw a street busker in Kyoto playing Tsugaru Shamisen that I decided I wanted to try it. I got around to buying a beginner shamisen online last year, and had a quick primer lesson with the very talented musician, Alcvin …

Our 2019 Show Season  Midnight Taiko members thrive on performing throughout the year, and 2019 was another busy one! We kicked off the performance season by celebrating the New Year with two events: Lunar New Year at the Chinese Cultural Centre and Vietnamese New Year at the Genesis Centre.  In the spring, we had fun performing at two events at the University of Calgary, local school shows, and one …

As we kick off 2019, we take some time to reflect on the year that was. It was a HUGE one for Midnight Taiko Kai, and included our inaugural trip to Japan, our first ever formal concert to celebrate over 10 years of Taiko in Calgary, the departure of beloved members and welcoming of new faces, and a packed show season that included, among other adventures, a performance with …

When I tell people I play Taiko, their first question usually is “what is that?” When I answer, they immediately follow with “how did YOU come to be involved in that?” with a tone of disbelief. Why the disbelief? Well… I am not Asian. My fair skin, blue eyes, and freckles ensure that I am not, nor will I ever be mistaken as having any Asian heritage. In fact, when …

Holly became a member of Midnight Taiko after attending a workshop and training with the group as an Apprentice for seven months. This is her advice for anyone considering a start on their Taiko journey. —– I never thought I would be a drummer.  In my early forties with teenage children already, I thought to myself “I’m not coordinated enough”, “I’m not fit enough”, “I’m not young enough”, but mostly there was just …

On June 12, 2016, Midnight Taiko will be writing taiko history in Calgary! For the first time in our city, our taiko players will be performing alongside musicians of the Calgary Wind Symphony, in a joint concert entitled DRUMS OF THE DRAGON! The first half of the concert will feature the Calgary Wind Symphony performing works such as Occident and Orient, Grand March Op. 25 by Camille Saint Saëns. To …

On June 12, 2016, Midnight Taiko will be writing taiko history in Calgary! For the first time in our city, our taiko players will be performing alongside musicians of the Calgary Wind Symphony, in a joint concert entitled DRUMS OF THE DRAGON! Taiko is a whole musical world in itself. Although there are obvious musical similarities, there are also significant differences! One of the first things that you will …

On June 12, 2016, Midnight Taiko will be writing taiko history in Calgary! For the first time in our city, our taiko players will be performing alongside musicians of the Calgary Wind Symphony, in a joint concert entitled DRUMS OF THE DRAGON! The most common taiko that you will see onstage at the Drums of the Dragon is a medium-sized chu-daiko, where the skin is stretched across the rim …

A Busy 2015 Season We really enjoy performing throughout the year and this year has been an unusually busy one, with wide variety of high-profile events including a triple-header performance for Canada Day in Cochrane, a segment CTV Television to promote Omatsuri 2015, solo Odaiko performances with the Calgary Opera for their week-long run of “The Mikado”, a combined music video and live performance on the ice for the Calgary Flames 2015-16 Home Opener, as well as …