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Newsletter - March 2008

Free Lecture & Hands-On Demonstration
Taiko! What is it? If you’ve ever wanted to play the big drums, here’s your chance. Free lecture & hands-on demonstration Friday, March 14 & 28, 7:00pm. To reserve a spot RSVP 510-654-6415.
New Classes starting in March
Classes for beginners are starting on March 1st and March 6th. Beginner’s classes are on Thursdays at 7:00pm and Saturdays at 2:00pm. In March we will be working in the Sukeroku style, or slant stand style.
Upcoming performances

On Sunday April 20th Emeryville Taiko will be making its 11th appearance at the Morgan Hill Haru Matsuri. One of the first appearances Emeryville Taiko ever made was at this festival eleven years ago, as a new taiko group in Oakland before we moved to Emeryville. This was also the first year of the festival in Morgan Hill, and ET has been a part of the festival ever since.

Another festival where we will be performing is the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival, at which we will once again be the closing performance on Sunday, April 27th.

Both of these festivals, which include cultural exhibits and performances as well as traditional Japanese food, are free and open to the public.

The Return of Tomida-san!
Last year Tomida-san, one of the original members of Kodo, conducted an Odaiko workshop at Emeryville Taiko which was a huge success. He will return October 9th – 20th for an extended visit of workshops and performance hosted by Emeryville Taiko. Details will be announced as events get confirmed. Stay in touch to find out more about these opportunities to study with this dynamic taiko master.
Julia Morgan 10th Anniversary Concert
Our 10th Anniversary concert at the Julia Morgan Theater in November 2007 was a big success. The sold out theater crowd was treated to performances that included Emeryville Taiko and guest performers Ensoza, Club Fue, Echo, Dosokai and from Japan, Masaharu Togawa. In the usual spirit of Emeryville Taiko the opportunity to perform was extended to other groups in the community, resulting in a fun and exciting show with over 60 performing participants. The highlight was the opening number inspired by the Nebuta festival from Aomori Japan, complete with floats in a procession in the aisles with fue, chappa and taiko. Audience and performers had a fun time.
Non Profit Status finalized
With the help of Keith Nomura and Sharon Anderson, Emeryville Taiko has successfully achieved status as a Federally recognized 501 c-3 Non-Profit Organization. Any contributions now made are tax deductible. Any donations would be greatly appreciated and needed.
New Building
When Emeryville Taiko moved to its new location two years ago our capacity for students nearly doubled. With the new building came new responsibilities and additional expenses. We’ve begun a drive to fill our classes to that new capacity. On 2/15 we held a lecture and demonstration with 24 new people attending, and possibly a few new students. Two more lecture/demonstrations are scheduled for March 14th and 28th at 7:00pm. Help the dojo get the word out! See the website for details.