Taiko Drumming Performance and Workshop

When:
September 6, 2012 @ 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM
2012-09-06T20:00:00+00:00
2012-09-06T23:00:00+00:00
Where:
Claremont Farmers' and Artisans' Market
Broad Street Park
Claremont, NH 03743
USA
Cost:
Free
Contact:
Melissa Richmond
802.738.0022

On Thursday, September 6th the Burlington Taiko Group will be performing and leading a free workshop at the Claremont Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market from 4-7pm at Broad St Park, as part of the First Thursdays Music Series. This event is provided by the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts (WCC-MA.org) as part of their Youth Arts Enrichment Initiative and through a collaboration with the Claremont Farmers’ Market Association, Claremont Parks and Recreation, and the City Center Business Alliance.

Rain location for the Taiko Workshop tomorrow will be the Zotto Gym (behind the Post Office), but hopefully we won’t need it! Thanks to Claremont Parks and Recreation.

All ages are welcome to participate. Throughout the afternoon there will be taiko (Japanese drumming) performances by Stuart Paton, founder and Artistic Director of Burlington Taiko, and another member of the group. In between those performances will be workshops allowing passerby to grab some taiko sticks and join in the drumming. There is no cost for this program, but those wishing to help support the program can make a donation at the event. Later in the fall a 3-day residency by Burlington Taiko will be provided in-school to youth at local schools yet to be confirmed. This residency has the potential to reach 150 students, and closes with an outdoor performance by the participants. This program is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies; and through a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.

Since 1987, Burlington Taiko has been mesmerizing audiences with the powerful, spellbinding and propulsive sounds of the taiko. Burlington Taiko Group estimates it has introduced over half a million people to the power of taiko via public performances including feature performances at the 100th running of the Boston Marathon, annual performances at Burlington’s First Night, the Joseph Campbell – Keepers of the Lore festival, the Black Ships Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, and over 200 corporate, collegiate and public performances. Stuart Paton, Founder and Artistic Director of Burlington Taiko spent most of his childhood in Japan, from age nine months through eighteen years. His earliest exposure to taiko included a first-grade fascination with the drums at an Obon celebration in Tokyo, and learning “Matsuri Daiko” from the composer of the score for his high school drama production. His formal study of taiko began in 1984 during a summer apprenticeship with Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka, the founder of the first taiko group in North America (San Francisco Taiko Dojo), and he founded the Burlington Taiko Group in 1986 not long after settling in Vermont.

The West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts began in 2008 as the Summer Concert Series at Union Church. Since then the organization has expanded to include not only music, but also other arts, among them: visual, culinary, and dance arts. They will celebrate their first year offering year-round programs this fall. WCCMA’s mission is to bring professional music and arts experiences, diverse musicians, and educational opportunity to the underserved and low-income community of Claremont NH, and wider region. We are committed to offering performances and workshops without charge, enabling everyone in the community to access the arts and their benefits. This year the WCCMA and the Claremont Farmers’ Market Association teamed up to provide special music at the First Thursdays Music Series. The Claremont Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market is open weekly from 4-7pm through September at Broad St Park. The Market boasts a rotation of over 30 vendors, meaning you can see something new each week alongside your favorite regular vendors. Stop by for produce, prepared food, baked goods, local honey, local beef, soap, jewelry, pottery, fiber, and sewn goods, and more!

 

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