Hawaii Tribune-Herald Island Beat Thursday, March 2, 2017 9 view of taiko and enjoy a slightly different style,” says Lienhard, who first mastered the taiko as a member of the group Ondekoza from 1981-94. “We will collaborate and do some songs people might have heard before but we will heighten the excitement of what they know as taiko and bring it to a new level.” Lienhard has conducted workshops with both groups in the past and he will participate in each group’s individual sets by adding flute elements to certain songs. Then, the groups will join together as an ensemble for a few songs as well. The Switzerland-born Lienhard became interested in taiko during his time in Japan on an exchange program at the age of 18. He joined a taiko commune where training consisted of 10 to 20 miles of running and six to seven hours of drumming daily. “It was for stamina,” Lienhard says of his intensive training. “It also teaches your body to pace itself during a performance.” He was part of Ondekoza during the time when the group spent three years performing throughout the United States — running with the group across the country — covering approximately 9,200 miles, starting with a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York, continuing to the West Coast and back to New York again. Running wasn’t what attracted him to the taiko, however. Instead, it was its power. “Being such an ancient instrument, it has a power that your whole body responds to,” Lienhard explains. He would study the fue and nohkan flutes, as well as the shakuhachi, becoming a virtuoso solo artist. Paired with the taiko, he says, the combination is mesmerizing. “People have different ways of experiencing the music, but it seems very emotional for a lot of people,” Lienhard says. “There is such powerful energy. The flute brings life into it — adding another element or layer that brings it to another level.” Taiko is different in different parts of the world, Lienhard says. “Different places integrate their own culture into it, too,” he says. “It has expanded in different ways. But I hope people will keep the essence of it. People might create new music, but they should stay true to the traditional aspects of it. It’s a sacred art form. I think it’s very important to understand where it came from.” That being said, Lienhard says the Palace Theater concerts will be musically and visually diverse and entertaining. Bahurinsky says the event is a fundraiser for the theater, but a percentage of the proceeds also will go to each of the taiko groups to help them continue to teach the art of the instrument. For Taishoji Taiko member and organization president Lei Kaniumoe, taiko was something she found enjoyment in at nearly 40 years old. Taishoji Taiko was founded in 1989 as a bon dance group. In its 28 years, the group has developed a style that embraces tradition and innovation, often featuring the original compositions of artistic director Chad Nakagawa. “I’ve been playing with Taishoji Taiko for 20 years,” Kaniumoe says. “I was invited by a previous group member, (the) Rev. Earl Ikeda. He kept encouraging me to join the group and I said I was too old to join. He said, ‘I’m older than you. Just come.’ He said I could just watch. But I showed up and he told me to ‘stand here’ and he shoved a pair of sticks in my hand. He told me to watch the boy in front of me and I’ve been there ever since.” Now 57, Kaniumoe says she enjoys the physicality of taiko and how, even at practice, it’s a chance to clear your mind and focus only on the drumming. Kaniumoe says people usually think Taishoji Taiko performances showcase a bit of humor. The group has been seen at various venues and festivals including Waimea’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival and Honokaa’s Peace Festival. “Our artistic director, Chad, has a good sense of humor and likes to incorporate that kind of playful movement into our performances,” she says. All of the island’s taiko groups are on friendly terms, says Kaniumoe, so this collaborative concert is not a new concept. What the concert does, however, is to allow the groups the opportunity to learn from and push each other in a more formal concert setting. Puna Taiko director Paul Sakamoto will be bringing 17 of his students ranging in age from 12-23 to the concert. The group was founded in 2002 by Ikeda and, in addition to their performance group, offers lessons for junior taiko, adult recreational and bamboo flute. “We are doing a mix of ‘covers’ of more well-known taiko pieces as well as some original pieces for this concert,” Sakamoto says. “It’s a very eclectic mix. You’ll hear some more traditional rhythms from Japan, some newer, ‘hip’ taiko beats from the West Coast of the U.S. and our finale piece is based on Polynesian rhythms. It’s really diverse.” Sakamoto says local taiko groups really appreciate when Lienhard comes to town because he’s so willing to share his own music and do workshops with the group. “Considering his pedigree, it’s an opportunity to learn from the source,” he says. “Marco was part of the pioneering group of taiko players in the group Ondekoza. Those guys are the original stage drummers. We (Puna Taiko) like to make our own music, but I also like for the kids to know where it all came from.” Sakamoto says one of the songs they will play is based on the story of the group Lienhard was a part of. Another piece they will perform, “Uneri,” has been a piece more than four years in the making. “At this concert, we will be debuting version 2.0 of that song,” he says. For the numbers the groups will perform together, modern technology has helped as they prepare via Skype and online videos to play in concert alongside Lienhard. “I don’t know anywhere else you’d get this breadth of experience as we do with Marco,” Sakamoto says. “I think you can hear his experiences when he plays. He’s been around the world so many times. When he starts playing the shakuhachi, it’s very emotional. Chicken skin. You feel the taiko in your gut, but when he plays the shakuhachi you feel it in your gut, too, just in a different way. And when we layer those two together …” Tickets are $15 general admission, $20 side reserved and $25 center reserved. A two-day general admission pass is available for $25. All tickets are $5 more on the day of the show. Doors open one hour prior to each performance. To purchase tickets, call 934-7010 or visit the box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. TAIKO From page 7 Courtesy photo Puna Taiko director Paul Sakamoto will be bringing 17 of his students ranging in age from 12-23 to the concert.
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