WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE A SERIES OF THREE PERFORMANCES IN CELEBRATION OF OUR 20th ANNIVERSARY

• • Sunday, Nov. 5 at The Hideout (more details): We will solidify our partnership with Los Angeles-based On Ensemble and celebrate the success of our collaborative album release at The Hideout, an iconic Chicago music venue.
  • Sunday, Nov. 19 at Alphawood Gallery (more details): We will return to our foundation, commemorating the influence of the Japanese-American experience on our music, our origins, and taiko in America by helping to close out Alphawood Gallery’s exhibit on the Japanese American WWII incarceration.
  • Thursday, Oct. 26 SoFar Event (more details): We will engage a new Chicago audience at this very unique, invite-only gig hosted by SoFar.

A BRIEF REFLECTION ON OUR JOURNEY

Founded in 1997 at the Midwest Buddhist Temple in Chicago by Lynne and Jerry Matsumoto, Ho Etsu Taiko is now under the direction of their son, Jason Matsumoto. The ensemble’s familial lineage is mirrored by its significant taiko lineage – with roots stretching back to the first-ever taiko group in Chicago: Midwest Buddhist Temple (“MBT”) Taiko founded in 1977. And deeper still, MBT’s humble beginnings are tied to Los Angeles-based Kinnara Taiko, one of the earliest US taiko groups with its recorded origin in 1969.

We have grown from a youth group into an adult performing ensemble, learning traditional drumming styles with an emphasis on self-expression and creativity. Always looking to explore new sounds, we have collaborated with musicians from around the world, including the Chicago Harp Quartet, the Mozawa arts collaborative, Irish folk musician Paddy Homan, internationally acclaimed Japanese folk artists Akira and Raiya Katogi, and award-winning On Ensemble.

Ho Etsu blends the deep-rooted culture of Japanese-American taiko with influences that inspire and celebrate the diversity of our performing members. Our mission is to spread joy through each and every drumbeat by creating music that is true to who we are. We seek a rotating path of outwardly focused collaboration and inwardly focused reflection to continually improve our presentation.