Taikoz

Wadaiko drumming anchors Taikoz, a Sydney ensemble that has composed original works pairing the drums with instruments such as shakuhachi, koto, marimba, saxophone, cello and didgeridoo. Composers including Gerard Brophy, Andrea Molino, Michael Askill and Graeme Koehne have written for the group, and collaborators have ranged from the Bell Shakespeare Company to taiko performers Kenny Endo and Eitetsu Hayashi, plus a nationwide tour with Kodo in 2012. Concert credits include the Sydney Opera House, the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Tokyo National Theatre and World Kinen Hall in Kobe, alongside concerto appearances with the Sydney, Melbourne, West Australian and Queensland Symphony Orchestras. Corporate bookings can run from a short fanfare on the 250-kilogram Odaiko grand drum to a short concert, and the group also runs hands-on drumming workshops for teams.