Home » past performance

Category: past performance

People of the Drum – July 22nd 2023

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.

APANO Voices of Change – May 20th, 2023

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 Farm Festival – Sep. 9th 2023

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:

 

Marie Lamfrom Foundation logo

MJ Murdock Charitable Trust logo

Oregon Community Foundation logo

 

racc_bw_horiz

Sounds of Japan – March 18th 2023

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.

Portland Taiko Sounds of Japan performance in Wilsonville OR

Lake Oswego Cultural Xchange

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!

JACL Day of Remembrance
McMenamins Kennedy School at 5736 NE 33rd Avenue
Saturday, February 26, 1:30 p.m. 
We are honored to perform at the Portland JACL’s program at the McMenamins Kennedy School, featuring a screening of Reparations with Senator Lew Frederick, Traci Kato-Kiriyama, and Jon Osaki. 

Salem Public Library
Online Performance for Salem Reads 
Saturday, February 5, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
We’re thrilled to perform for our friends at the Salem Public Library to kick off the Salem Reads Event! There will be audience participation and time for questions and answers. Live Spanish language and ASL interpretation will be included. Sign up in advance to receive Zoom access information on the day before the event: https://bit.ly/SR2022events

Bonenkai 2021
Online Year-End Celebration
Saturday, December 4, 7:00 p.m.
Join us for a special online celebration with performances by Portland Taiko and students from our ‘Naname Fundamentals’ and ‘Beyond Basics’ classes! More information to be posted soon! 

Joy (Comes) in the Mourning
Free program curated by Portland Playhouse
Saturday, September 18 from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.
602 NE Prescott Street, Portland 97211
Please join us for a heartfelt program reconnecting to mourning traditions and rituals, sharing the practices acknowledging loss, and expressing grief. Portland Taiko is honored to be a part of this event and performs at 4:30 p.m.

Gateway Discovery Park
Outdoor Concert sponsored by Portland Parks and Recreation
Saturday, August 21 from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. 
10520 NE Halsey Street
Free. Join us for this small-group performance in the spacious Gateway Discovery Park! 

Mochitsuki
Saturday, January 23, 12:00 pm
It’s the Year of the Ox and this year’s Mochitsuki is online. There is a full month of programming and we’re happy to be sharing the virtual stage with Oregon Koto-Kai, Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo, Paul Matsushima, and Utsukikai! For the premiere of our video on 1/23, view here!

Bonenkai (Year-End Party, Recital, and Fundraiser)
Friday, December 4, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Join us for our annual year-end gathering! We will present taiko performances by our students, release the uncut taiko videos from our fall concert video event, and share our musical tribute to Valerie Otani. Stay tuned for details.

Fishtrap and the NEA Big Read
Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 pm
OK Theatre
2018 W. Main Street
Enterprise, OR 97828
Cancelled due to the covid-19 corona virus. We are working with the Fishtrap Writer’s Workshop to reschedule this wonderful program and hope to be in Enterprise sometime soon!

Asian Celebration
Sunday, February 16 at 1:40 pm
Lane County Fairgrounds
796 W 13th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97402
Celebrate the Year of the Rat with tons of performances, food, a huge marketplace, and hands-on activities! Portland Taiko performs on Sunday at 1:40 pm!

Mochitsuki 2020
Sunday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m.
PSU Viking Pavilion, Peter Stott Center
930 SW Hall Street
Portland, OR 97207
Celebrate the Year of the Rat with food, demonstrations, stage performances, and of course, mochi! The whole event lasts from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Portland Taiko goes onstage for 20 minutes starting at 2:00 p.m.

Portland Taiko’s 25th Anniversary Concert

Saturday, November 2 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 3 at 2:00 p.m.
PSU Lincoln Performance Hall
1620 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR 97201
Portland Taiko’s 25th Anniversary Concert will feature current and past members, new works, and special guests Kenny Endo (Hawai’i), Tiffany Tamaribuchi (California), and the Kalabharathi School of Dance (Oregon). Please join us as we celebrate 25 years of drumming and community engagement! SOLD OUT! 

Thank you so much to our Saturday audience!!! For Sunday ticket-holders, remember it’s Daylight Savings and you get an extra hour of sleep tomorrow before the matinee!

Oregon Nikkei Endowment, 30th Anniversary Celebration

Saturday, September 14, 2019 from 4:00 — 6:30 p.m.
Festival Street, NW 4th & Flanders
Portland, OR 97209
Sneak peek at the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center’s new museum space with food, fun, and hard hats! Portland Taiko performs at 5:45 p.m. for thirty minutes. We’re thrilled to be joining in this celebration of Oregon Nikkei Endowment’s 30 years of history, community engagement, and activism. Open to the public but a ticketed event. 

Fourth Plain Multicultural Festival

Saturday, September 7, 2019 at 3:15 p.m.
Evergreen Park
3500 East Fourth Plain Boulevard
Vancouver, WA
This free event includes multicultural music and dance performances, sports and arts activities, children’s games, food vendors, booths for local organizations, and more! It runs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Portland Taiko performs for 30 minutes starting at 3:15 p.m. Information here!

North American Taiko Conference

Friday, August 9, 2019
PSU Smith Memorial Student Union
1825 SW Broadway
Portland, OR 97201
The Taiko Community of Portland (Portland Taiko, Takohachi, en Taiko, Unit Souzou, PSU Taiko Ensemble, and Catlin Gabel Taiko Club) will perform TOGETHER WE RISE to welcome the attendees of the North American Taiko Conferece! 

Obon Festival

Saturday, August 3, 2019 from 3:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Oregon Buddhist Temple
3720 SE 34th Avenue
Portland, OR 97202
It’s obon season again and we’re thrilled to return to Oregon Buddhist Temple’s Obon Festival. Come enjoy an afternoon of performances, delicious food and drinks, cultural and religious programs, and obon dance! Portland Taiko performs at 6:30 p.m. and the obon dance follows soon after!

Starlight Parade

Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 8:30 p.m.
Downtown Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland Taiko is thrilled to run its Portland Festival Yatai (float) once again through the streets of downtown Portland at the Rose Festival Starlight Parade. This year, we’ll be debuting our brand-new festival music written by Keiko Araki! Parade route and information here.

Fear No Music

Monday, May 6, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
The Old Church
1422 SW 11th Ave
Portland, Oregon
Portland Taiko will appear as guests for Fear No Music’s Japanarama concert, reprising Kenji Bunch’s Dango Jiru and other pieces from our Sticks and Strings concert. Also works by Pauchi Sasaki, Barbara White, Stephen Hartke, and Wang Jie. Get your tickets here!

Oregon Historical Society, Family Day

Saturday, February 16 at 12:00 p.m.
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, Oregon
Join us for a fun, family day at the Experience Oregon Grand Opening Celebration with performances by BRAVO Youth Orchestras, Oregon Trail Trio, Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, The Prairie Blossoms, and storytelling by Esther and Shannin Stutzman! Portland Taiko plays for 15 minutes starting at 12:00 p.m.

Mochitsuki

Sunday, January 27, 2019
PSU Viking Pavilion at the Peter Stott Center
930 SW Hall Street
Portland, Oregon
We’re excited to perform at the brand-new venue, the Viking Pavilion, at the Peter Stott Center! Come enjoy the same format of food vendors, cultural demonstrations, community organizations, and a full performance lineup at the new location in the Year of the Boar!

No No Boy
Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
Oregon Buddhist Temple
3720 SE 34th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
The night before our fall concert, we will collaborate with the songwriting and activist team of No No Boy for their opening number. Tickets are $10 with part of the proceeds benefiting the Oregon Buddhist Temple!

STICKS AND STRINGS
Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
Lincoln Performance Hall
1620 SW Park Avenue
Portland, Oregon
Tickets are now available for our fall concert highlighting Portland Taiko’s melodic repertoire for taiko, flute, and violin. The concert will feature guest musicians from the new music ensemble Fear No Music, youth taiko group en Taiko, and the premiere of Dango Jiru, a commissioned work for taiko, flute, violin, and cello composed by Kenji Bunch, Artistic Director of Fear No Music. Purchase your tickets here!

Mochitsuki!

It’s a new year, which means Portland’s Mochitsuki is right around the corner! PORTLAND TAIKO will be performing in PSU’s Smith Ballroom on Sunday, January 28 at 1:30 p.m. We’ll share the stage with a great lineup of performers and hope to see you there! 
And if you are volunteer-minded, please consider joining the Mochitsuki volunteer team! Free admission to the event for all volunteers! For more information and to register, please visit: https://mochipdx.ivolunteer.com/2018

Vision and Vigilance Candlelight Vigil

Sunday, December 11, 4 p.m. | link
Japanese American Historical Plaza

In response to post-election instances of racial targeting and student harassment, Portland Taiko will team with Oya No Kai and Grant High School for a student workshop and dialogue, and the Oregon Nikkei Endowment, Portland JACL, and the Japanese Ancestral Society in a candelight vigil at the Japanese American Historical Plaza.

 

PSU Cultural Resource Center Grand Opening

Wednesday, November 2, 5:00 p.m.
Portland State University
Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom
1825 SW Broadway
Free event

Join the PSU Cultural Resource Centers as it celebrates the momentous addition of the Pan-African Commons and Pacific Islander, Asian & Asian American Student Center. Our formal presentation will begin at 5:00 p.m. and will be followed by dinner, entertainment, and dancing. This event is FREE and open to the public. No ticket required. Portland Taiko performs towards the end of the event around 7:00 p.m.

14642205_1601416200161430_7435161834441589718_n

Washington Park Summer Festival

August 7, 6 pm
Washington Park | link
This free summer concert is a full-length extravaganza in Washington Park’s amphitheater. We’ve been working hard to bring back some old favorites we haven’t played in a while, as well as on a collaboration with Portland Lee’s Association lion dance team. And of course we’ll also be playing some of our standard pieces our audiences know and love. Hope to see you there!