We are happy to announce we have welcomed five new members to Soh Daiko: Cassidy Hatch, Derek Hong, Devin Wong, Roni Yamane, and Victoria Nishikawa! They joined our trainee program last fall and have practiced with us throughout the year — you may have seen them playing in some of our recent shows!
Cassidy began her taiko journey with San Jose Taiko’s Junior Taiko Program, where she played for 10 years. Outside of Soh Daiko, she’s working on her undergraduate degree at New York University. When she’s not studying or playing taiko, Cassidy enjoys reading, digital art, and baking.
Derek started playing taiko at Brown University/RISD’s Gendo Taiko, where he played for 4 years and discovered a passion for taiko and love for the taiko community. Outside of taiko, Derek studied law and enjoys Wikipedia deep-dives and taking pictures of food that has tragically fallen to the ground.
Devin began their taiko journey banging along to Kodo DVDs as a toddler on bucket-drums, then went on to play for 11 years in the San Jose Junior Taiko program. Outside of taiko, Devin is a musician working in theater who enjoys tabletop games, listening to new music, and writing their own music.
Roni is new to taiko and learned the basics with Soh Daiko just last fall! Outside of Soh Daiko, Roni works as a genetic counselor at a hospital in NYC, and she enjoys running, reading, and catering to the demands of her two cats: Mac and Cheese.
Victoria began playing taiko with Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan at UC Davis, where she played for 4 years. Outside of Soh Daiko, Victoria is a graduate student at Columbia School of Social Work who enjoys reading, scrapbooking, hiking, and watching sunsets.
Cassidy, Roni, Devin, Derek, and Victoria
We are excited to see the five of them grow as performing members in the years to come. Please join us in offering them your congratulations and full support!
2024 is Soh Daiko’s 45th Anniversary year! We have been drumming in the basement of the New York Buddhist Church for four and a half decades, giving countless performances at events large and small and near and far. After a brief beginning as a youth group, Soh Daiko was formed in 1979 and became the first taiko ensemble on the East Coast of the United States. Over the years we’ve made appearances on Sesame Street, NBC’s Today Show, Saturday Night Live, and more, as well as sharing the love of taiko with audiences all across the tri-state area at cultural festivals.
This weekend we came together with former Soh Daiko members and friends to celebrate this milestone. We enjoyed a beautiful view, great company, delicious food, and a performance just for us.
In honor of our 45th Anniversary, we will be taking a trip down memory lane to celebrate our iconic repertoire from its early days to the present. Original compositions like Yuudachi and Hachidan and arrangements like Matsuri and Miyake have stood the test of time over our 45 year history. Though the music and spirit have endured, these pieces continue to evolve with the group and its members. Join us as we revisit videos of our favorite performances from the early days and recent years!
You can follow along at our Youtube channel HERE and on Instagram and Facebook with: #sohdaiko45th
Coming out of our recruitment workshops, we are excited to welcome eleven trainees for our 2023-2024 trainee class! Many, but not all, of our new recruits have played taiko previously, with experience in collegiate groups like Gendo Taiko, Swarthmore Taiko, Cal Raijin Taiko, and Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan, youth taiko groups like San Jose Junior Taiko, and even Asaka Daikol, a performing group in Japan!
But most important, all of our trainees show a great passion for taiko, learning, and performing. Over the next three months, they will join us for weekly rehearsals and learn Soh Daiko’s way through observation, drills, and dedicated trainee hours, honing in on Soh Daiko’s unique techniques and repertoire.
This is the biggest group of trainees we’ve taken on in years, and we can hardly wait to see what they accomplish!
