A centuries-old tradition in Japanese culture, the Taiko or “fat drum” has been played during religious ceremonies, in warfare and, more recently, for performance-only sake. From Feb. 1-Feb. 3, students and the Springfield community will have a chance to experience this art form firsthand, thanks to the efforts of 1987 alumna Janice Glowski, assistant professor of art history and religion, and Adam Con, associate professor of music and director of the Wittenberg Choir.
Taiko, according to Glowski, is a relatively modern revival of ancient Japanese drumming traditions, which have been associated with Samurai, Buddhist communities, and many aspects of Japanese life.
To introduce the campus and community to taiko, Glowski worked with the Burlington Taiko Group of Burlington, Vt.
For more than 20 years, “Burlington Taiko has been mesmerizing audiences with the powerful, spellbinding and propulsive sounds of the taiko. Burlington Taiko Group estimates it has introduced over half a million people to the power of taiko via public performances including feature performances at the 100th running of the Boston Marathon, annual performances at Burlington's First Night, the Joseph Campbell - Keepers of the Lore festival, the Black Ships Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, and over 200 corporate, collegiate and public performances,” according to the group’s website. Burlington Taiko is guided by its founder and creative director, Stuart Paton Sensei.
In addition to student workshops taught by the group, a public demonstration is also scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 in Wittenberg’s Weaver Chapel.
Light refreshments will follow the event, which is being sponsored by East Asian Studies, the Department of Music, the East Asian Institute, the Department of Language and Literature, Promise Neighborhood, and African & Diaspora Studies, the Department of Theatre and Dance, and the Faculty Endowment Board.
For more information, contact Glowski at jglowski@wittenberg.edu.
