Odaiko players at the TMY filming.On September 18th, Odaiko Sonora brought a heartbeat to downtown Tucson as we filmed for Tucson Meet Yourself! You’ve probably heard our most beloved festival is going virtual this year. Visit Tucson Meet Yourself to see Festival activities — online and in person — throughout ALL of October, including food vendors every weekend at selected heritage sites around town! The arts and cultural workers who love Tucson are keeping the faith. Come enjoy and support your town.
Shout out to TUSD’s Opening Minds Through the Arts (OMA) program. Several of the instruments we’ll be using are from the unique educational collaboration we’ve enjoyed with OMA since 2012!
Who’s Zoomin’ Who
We continue to test new models for teaching/learning, performance, and engaging audiences. Going virtual means geography is no longer an obstacle to sharing. A universe of new workshops and discussions now connect us more closely to the broader taiko community, and is encouraging deeper exploration into the folk roots of taiko, music theory, composition, and re-developing old pieces for new configurations of players.
One such new connection is our monthly Guest Taiko Artist Zoom, which introduces group members to out-of-town taiko artists whose influence has helped shape Odaiko Sonora since 2002. As this month’s guest, Jen Weir, pointed out, the evolution of a taiko player can involve being a student, performer, artist, ambassador, and steward. To be an artist means more than playing well. It means finding creative ways to engage with one’s art, crafting it to better explore and express ideas one finds meaningful. This means continuously questioning and revisioning… perfect skills for this time.
Jen Weir “visits” OS by Zoom.Keeping the lights on
Amazon Giving is an easy way to support Odaiko Sonora… without even noticing! Use AmazonSmile instead of the usual site. It’s exactly the same except AmazonSmile has a “Supporting” dropdown menu for you to choose a nonprofit to receive a portion of your purchase. Helping us keep the studio lights on and our classes and practices going means we’ll be here to perform for our village when we can gather again… and celebrate!
Arigatōgozaimasu! ありがとう ございます