Beginnings
Yamatai is a student musical ensemble at Cornell University dedicated to spreading the art of and joy taiko. The team was founded in 2006 by Cornell undergraduate Haruki Yukawa ‘09 and began under the musical direction of Eva Kestner ’09. Starting with only one lonely drum, Yamatai has grown its drum collection through generous donations by members, alumni and Masataka Kobayashi, leader of professional taiko group in Japan, Bonten.
In November 2007, we premiered our own concert entitled Yamatai: The Debut. Other performances since then have included ECAASU 2008: The Remix, JUSA’s fifth annual culture show Tokyo Nights, and a guest performance at The Hangovers’ spring concert in Sage Chapel. We concluded the 2007-2008 school year with our second concert in Statler Hall on March 30, 2008 entitled Hibiki: The Resonance.
In March 2009, we were privileged to have Bonten perform in Bailey Hall to a soldout audience. That night was also the professional debut of Eva Kestner as a member of Bonten, and the last song of the night featured the 7 seniors of Yamatai.
Yamatai Now
As a relatively young taiko team, Yamatai is energetically developing its individual style. Our current repertoire consists of pieces written by Bonten (a professional taiko group in Japan), traditional community taiko pieces, as well as original compositions by Yamatai members and alumni. Through rigorous study and training, Yamatai seeks to explore musical possibilities of taiko drumming in contemporary adaptations while respecting the origins of the traditional art. We are excited to be a part of the growing international taiko community, and to share our passion for taiko with our audience!
Yamatai now performs at many events in the Cornell and Ithaca community including local school events and festivals. In April 2010, we performed an audience farthest from home yet at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C., on stage in the shadow of the Washington Monument. Our Spring Concert entitled “Pulse” in April 2011 again filled Cornellʼs largest auditorium, Bailey Hall. The concert featured collaborations with other student performing groups such as Lion Dance, Chinese Music Ensemble and the breakdance troupe, Absolute Zero.
East Coast Taiko Conference 2011
Taiko in North America had its beginnings on the West Coast in the 1960s, and has since spread throughout the continent. To foster the spread of taiko and exchange of taiko knowledge on the East Coast, Yamatai hosted the first ever East Coast Taiko Conference (ECTC) in February 2011 under the leadership of past President, Daniel Porter. Over 100 students from taiko teams of universities across the region congregated at Cornell University for a weekend of taiko workshops led by some of the best professional taiko players on the East Coast. ECTC created a forum where the groups could share their diverse skills and styles, facilitating collaboration, learning and the strengthening of the East Coast taiko community. The second annual ECTC will be held at Wesleyan University in March 2012. Find out more here!
