Our annual benefit banquet returns April 5th, 2024 to Excellent Cuisine (formerly Wong’s King Seafood) 8733 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97266 .
Enjoy an exciting program of taiko performances, a live auction and more. Please save the date. Additional details coming soon…
Join us for a screening of the taiko documentary Finding Her Beat at The Hollywood Theatre on Saturday Sept. 30th at 2:00 pm. Tiffany Tamaribuchi will perform live before the screening and do a Q & A after the film.
This is a Community Benefit Screening, which means net proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Portland Taiko. Please help us spread the word!
We are sincerely grateful to The Hollywood Theater for selecting this film and supporting our organization.
Finding Her Beat recently won the award for Best Music Documentary at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and Film Threat said Finding Her Beat is “One of the Year’s Most Engaging and Captivating Documentaries! 10/10!”
Issho: Rhythm Connection is our first performance at the beautiful Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton. The evening will include pieces not performed in many years in addition to fan favorites. We hope you can Join us at The Reser on November 11th. >>>Buy Tickets
Portland Taiko strives to keep ticket prices affordable. We are very grateful to concert sponsors Phyllis Sakioka and Ann Naito-Campbell and the charitable organizations listed below.
Join us downtown at Salmon St. Springs on Tuesday June 20th for World Refugee Day. Portland Taiko will perform at approximately 5:10 pm and the World Refugee Day walk begins at 5:30 pm. More information about the walk, including a route map, is available here.
Portland Taiko is proud to support the Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO).
I grew up seeing taiko at obon and community events, but didn’t start playing until middle school when my cousin and some friends invited me to join the Kona Daifukuji youth group. I continued to practice and perform throughout high school and transitioned to performing with USC Kazan Taiko during college. When COVID hit, I went on a 2-year taiko hiatus but found my way to Portland Taiko in 2022 through a Kazan Taiko connection.
I play taiko to express myself artistically and challenge myself physically, but my favorite thing about playing taiko is how it pushes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to grow as a person and performer. During my time away from taiko during COVID, I developed some anxiety about performing, but during my first concert with Portland Taiko in Wilsonville, I saw the friendly faces of the crowd and instantly felt reassured. I knew no matter what happened, the performance would be a lot of fun.
Portland Taiko is honored to announce Tiffany Tamaribuchi is Portland Taiko’s new Artistic Director. For more than 25 years, Tiffany has been an inspiration to Portland Taiko: as instructor, guest performer and composer. She’s always showing us new ways to connect with the spirit of taiko and share it with our community. We couldn’t be more excited to open a new chapter with Tiffany and can’t wait to start our artistic journey with her.
We offer sincere and heartfelt thanks to those who have supported Portland Taiko over the years. We are also grateful to two major funders, the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust and the Marie Lamfrom Foundation. Without all of you, none of this would be possible.
Tiffany will officially join the Portland Taiko family in late summer 2023. Until then, please mark your calendar for:
Photo Credit: Katherine Saunders
Look for Portland Taiko’s people-powered yatai in this year’s Rose Festival Starlight Parade on June 3rd 2023. Here’s a short video of the yatai in the 2022 Starlight Parade.
Celebrate the reopening of The Oregon Jewish Museum and Holocaust Education Center (724 NW Davis) on Sunday June 11th. The Cultural Exchange Festival Street Party runs from Noon – 3:00 pm. It’s a free event with live music (Portland Taiko performs at 1:00 pm), a taco truck and more.
Portland Taiko is looking forward to being back at the Hillsboro Farmers Market (150 E Main Street) on Saturday June 24th. Our performance begins at 11:30 am.
The Regional North American Taiko Conference takes place in Hilo, Hawai’i this year. Portland Taiko will perform at the TAIKOGO! event at Kea’au High School on June 30th. Please visit the NATC-R webpage for additional information.
I started playing taiko when I was nine. My first class was taught by Portland Taiko founders Ann and Zack. I joined the youth performing group, Tanuki Taiko, soon after and played until I left for college. After a decade away from taiko and Portland, I rejoined Portland Taiko in 2022.
I love the creativity and energy of taiko. It’s my favorite way to think differently, exercise different parts of my brain (and muscles) and collaborate with others. Professionally, I’m a coordinator for Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R). One of my favorite events is People of the Drum, an annual collaboration between Portland Taiko and PP&R that takes place during Summer Free for All! In my spare time, I love running and hiking with my pup, traveling locally and abroad and eating all the best Portland food.
People of the Drum is a free event with performances and workshops from:
Hula Hālau ‘Ohana Holo’oko’a
Mexica Tiahui
Portland Kalai Khuzu
and Portland Taiko
Join us at Gateway Discovery Park 10520 NE Halsey St, Portland, OR on Saturday July 22nd from 4:30-6:30 pm.
Thank you to the Oregon Arts Commission, Portland Parks and Recreation and the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) for supporting Portland Taiko and this annual event.
We are thrilled to be back at 4 Days of Aloha at Esther Short Park in Vancouver. Portland Taiko is scheduled to perform at 10:55 am on Sunday July 23rd.
Tickets are $10 for adults, keiki (children) 10 and younger can attend for free. Proceeds benefit the Ke Kukui Foundation.
Portland Taiko and Beyond Basics students will perform at Obon Fest on Saturday August 5th.
5:30 PM Beyond Basics students perform
6:30 PM performance by Portland Taiko
This event is free and open to all. For a complete schedule of events, please visit the Oregon Buddhist Temple’s Obon Fest webpage.
This annual event at the Japanese American Historical Plaza is a memorial to the victims of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The event is free and open to the public. Portland Taiko will perform at 6pm and 7pm.
The Japanese American Historical Plaza is located at 2 NW Naito Pkwy in downtown Portland (intersection with Couch St).
Join Portland Taiko and other AAPI organizations as we celebrate Asian/Pacific Island heritage month. The event kicks off at 10 am. Performances begin at Noon.
Voices of Change is APANO’s annual fundraiser. This family-friendly community event celebrates AAPI heritage and achievements. The program includes dinner, a silent auction, family activities and performances from Portland Taiko (among others).
This year’s event is at The Greatroom in Beaverton, Saturday May 20th from 5-8 pm. Tickets are available on a sliding scale from $0-$100.
Portland Taiko will be a guest performer at Teva Oriata’s performance at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts on Saturday May 27th. Stories of the Pacific is a celebration of Polynesian history, legends and culture through music and dance. Learn more and purchase tickets at thereser.org.
The Jade District International Night Market returns to PCC SE on Saturday August 19th, 2023. This fun, free community event runs from 1:00pm to 9:00pm. Portland Taiko will perform at 7:30 pm.
UPDATE: Farm Festival is SOLD OUT!
Thank you, Portland Taiko fans!!!
View other upcoming performances
Join us Saturday September 9th at Triskelee Farm in West Linn for a fun, family-friendly outdoor concert. Farm tours start at 3:00 pm and the performance begins at 4:00 pm. This event will take place rain or shine.
Bring your picnic blanket, camping chairs and your favorite snacks (alcohol must be purchased on-site). Canopies are also welcome, but please leave pets at home.
Burgers (ostrich, beef or veggie) and hot dogs will be for sale along with beer, wine and fresh produce. We’ll also have two food trucks: Kona Ice and Tony’s Fresh Fruit & Mexican Food.
NEW! We’ll also have desserts and spam musubi for sale with all proceeds donated to Maui relief efforts.
Portland Taiko strives to keep ticket prices affordable. We are grateful to the following organizations for their financial support:
Join Portland Taiko and Oregon Koto-Kai for Sounds of Japan at the Wilsonville community center. This free event takes place Saturday, March 18, 2023 from 10am-12pm. Enjoy musical performances from Oregon Koto-Kai and Portland Taiko, traditional Japanese tea and snacks (while supplies last).
Pre-registration is required due to room capacity limits. Please visit the Wilsonville Parks and Recreation website for more information.
Thank you to everyone who attended our virtual Bonenkai celebration. We loved seeing everyone’s smiling faces.
Lake Oswego’s multicultural festival Cultural Xchange celebrates different cultures from around the world. The event takes place Sunday, September 18, 2022 from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Millennium Plaza Park. Enjoy traditional dance and music performances, a Wushu martial arts demo, food and artisan vendors and more. Portland Taiko is thrilled to share the stage with DJ Avelanche, Clan Macleay Pipe Band, Mariachi Mexico En La Piel, White Lotus Dragon & Lion Dance, Dina Y Los Rumberos, Jujuba, Anavai O Te Ora (formerly Ora Nui) and Ron Artis II Trio. Portland Taiko plays at 12:30 p.m. We hope to see you there!
Yael Livny is a taiko student who once saw Portland Taiko perform at a school fundraiser and exclaimed, “I want to do THAT!” She grew up in an Israeli-American family in Berlin, Germany. When she is not drumming, Yael dances Butoh and practices law. She has previously served on the board of Portland Chamber Music and as president of the Oregon State Bar’s Litigation Section.
Scott Winner works at Bonneville Power Administration as an Operations Research Analyst. He holds degrees in Chemistry from Portland State University and has served on the Board of Directors of the Oregon Buddhist Temple. In 2017, Scott found the truck chassis for Portland Taiko’s festival float and has been a long-time supporter of Portland Taiko.
After taking my first taiko class in 2016, I was instantly hooked and humbled. Though I don’t have the strength or talent to be a performer, I’m honored to serve as a board member and help Portland Taiko further its mission. As a Japanese American (hapa/yonsei), I’m proud to be part of an organization that affirms Asian American pride and builds community through the international language of music. Prior to Portland Taiko I volunteered with Rock N’ Roll Camp for Girls. I grew up in the Portland area and currently work as a freelance copywriter.
In 1994 my husband and I moved from Florida to start our lives in Portland. I started taking Taiko lessons in 2017 with a friend and fell in love with the art and how it strengthens the connection between mind and body. Recently I concluded my 30-year career in the food and nutrition business and now work with a group, Crossing Party Lines, that facilitates political discussions among those with different views. I was delighted to be invited to be on the board of Portland Taiko and am looking forward to contributing to the next phase of its growth and evolution.
Zack Semke is Director of Passive House Accelerator and a member of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps. He writes and speaks about the role that buildings can play in accelerating the clean energy transition. He helped found Portland Taiko in 1994 and served as Co-Director until 2005.
Ann Ishimaru (yonsei) is a founding member of Portland Taiko, former co-director, and currently an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Organizations & Policy at the University of Washington. Her research seeks to cultivate community and educational leadership to foster educational justice in and beyond schools. Although retired from taiko performing these days, she still teaches taiko occasionally through temple (Seattle Betsuin) or when her daughter was in a middle school taiko group. She is happy to reconnect with PT as a board member.
