People
The Beauty Of 8 was given its World Premiere at Sydney’s Seymour Centre on 23-24 October 2015. It was remounted for performance at the Melbourne Recital Centre on 11 February 2017.
Chieko Kojima
Special guest artist
Chieko first encountered Japanese folk dancing when she joined Sado no Kuni Ondekoza in 1976. In 1981 she went on to become one of the founding members of Kodo. She also seeks new expressions in the female song-and-dance trio Hanayui and has an active solo career that is perhaps best characterized in her ongoing project, Yukiai. She is noted for her original style of dance in Kodo's taiko-based performances. She became a Kodo Distinguished Member in 2012 and has since visited many countries as a Japan Cultural Envoy from the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Riley Lee
Shakuhachi Soloist
Riley co-founded Taikoz in 1997. He began playing the shakuhachi in 1971 as a student of Chikuho Sakai until 1980, and with Katsuya Yokoyama since 1984. In 1980, he became the first non-Japanese to attain the rank of dai shihan or Grand Master, and from 1973 was the first non-Japanese to play taiko professionally by touring internationally as a full-time performer with Ondekoza. Riley completed his BA and MA degrees in music at the University of Hawai’i, and received his PhD degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Sydney. In 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2016, he was made Visiting Fellow at Princeton University.
Ian Cleworth
Taikoz Artistic Director
Ian has been Artistic Director of Taikoz since its inception in 1997. In 2005 he became full-time with the group after having spent 20 years as Principal Percussionist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and 16 years with the percussion group Synergy. Ian has composed numerous works for Taikoz, including music for major productions with John Bell and the Bell Shakespeare Company (Pericles), and choreographers Meryl Tankard (Kaidan) and Anandavalli (Chi Udaka). As a taiko performer Ian has toured nationally and internationally, collaborating with many esteemed artists and musicians. In 2007 Ian received the APRA-AMC Classical Music Award for Long-term Contribution for the Advancement Of Australian Music, and in 2016, the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for his contribution towards promoting friendship and goodwill between Australia and Japan.
