Oto-Wa Taiko
Ottawa Ontario 45° 25' 15.16" N, 75° 41' 24.40" W Arts Music Person taiko
About Oto-Wa Taiko
Oto-Wa Taiko is a Japanese drumming group that performs at public and private event and at schools, and offers general interest workshops and training classes for budding taiko enthusiasts in Canada's National Capital Region.
While performing for an audience has become almost a weekly activity especially in the summer months, the prime objective of the group remains to maximize the enjoyment of all its members as well as promoting and introducing an element of Japanese Culture.
We believe that when we enjoy playing, the joy is conveyed to the audience to create a truly moving experience.
Oto-Wa Taiko History
Oto-Wa Taiko was started by members of the Ottawa Japanese Community Association in 1989. After gathering together several interested members of the community, a group was formed that fall. For the first two years, the group didn't have any drums, and had to practice on car tires (this is quite common for beginners in Japan).
The name Oto-Wa Taiko, while phonetically reflecting its community of origin, Ottawa, uses two Japanese characters, oto and wa. Oto means sound while Wa means harmony. Taiko means drum. The character wa was chosen to symbolize the harmony among the group members as well as the harmony of spirit between the players and their drums as they make oto together.
Our repertoire has been built from a selection of pieces learned at workshops, as well as videos from Japan. We have had most of our instruction from the Montreal group Arashi Daiko and the Toronto group Yakudo, as well as some workshops from members of other taiko groups such as Soh Daiko, from New York, and Burlington Taiko from Vermont. We also try to participate in taiko conferences in the United States and across Canada where there is a gathering of groups from all over the world. As a result, we now play in a variety of styles.
Over the years, Oto-Wa Taiko has performed many times each year in and around the Ottawa area, as well as a few occasions in other cities like Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg.