- *This event has finished.
- Date: Friday, October 17, 2014, 7:00 pm
- Venue: Lecture Hall, International House of Japan
- Speaker: PJ Hirabayashi (Taiko player, US-Japan Creative Artists Program Fellow)
- Language: English & Japanese (with consecutive interpretation)
- Co-sponsored by the Japan-US Friendship Commission (JUSFC)
- Admission: Free (reservations required, Seating: 70)
*There will be no live performance.
PJ Hirabayashi, a co-founder of San Jose Taiko, one of America’s foremost taiko groups, is currently residing in Japan as a fellow of the Japan-US Friendship Commission’s Creative Artists Program.
Upon her retirement (or “rewirement,” in her own words), and inspired by the rebirthing concept of kanreki at the age of 60, this period in her life has motivated her to visit Japan, the home of her ancestry as well as her favorite instrument. Having worked for decades on keeping Japanese traditions alive in the United States, Hirabayashi is now passionate about working with Japanese artists who come from communities that have faced hardships or challenges, including Okinawan and Ainu people, among others.
In her Artist Forum talk, she will give a lecture (with video), addressing topics including the role of art in community-building, and the impact of taiko in Japanese-American communities.