(Artistic Leadership Team)
I first started learning taiko in 1993 with Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. When I moved to Portland in 2001, I joined Portland Taiko. I like that most of our repertoire is original, and I especially enjoy some of the more melodic pieces that incorporate violin. The first community-based composition I was a part of, A Place Called Home, was a memorable and educational experience for me. What I love about taiko is that it combines music and dance, two lifelong endeavors of mine. The best part of playing and performing for me is the connections that we make with each other and with the audience. One performance that will always stand out for me was the CD release party for our Big Bang. We played very close to our audience, and my son, who was less than a year old at the time, was sitting just a few feet away from me. When we played Ha!, which Kristy and I had composed while I was pregnant, he bounced up and down with joy, his face alight. That baby just entered high school, and my husband Jeff and I also have a daughter in elementary school. Both are in the Japanese Magnet Program. By day I’m a software engineer for Intuit. I love gardening and cooking, dabbling in guitar, ukulele, and recently, the cello.