Funders and Partners

About

TAIKOPROJECT was founded in 2000 in Los Angeles, California by a group of young, emerging taiko drummers led by Bryan Yamami and Masato Baba. The group continues to define a modern American style of taiko, blending traditional forms with an innovative and fresh aesthetic.

TAIKOPROJECT first made waves when they became the first American taiko group to win the prestigious Tokyo International Taiko Contest in 2005, besting all of the Japanese taiko groups in the competition. That year, they were cast in the Mitsubishi Eclipse commercial, the first and still only national advertising campaign to prominently feature taiko.

Since then, the group has performed on the Academy Awards, the Grammy Awards, NBC's "The Voice," Syfy's Face/Off, The X-Factor, rock band 30 Seconds to Mars' "Up in the Air" music video, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, the iHeartRadio Music Festival, and was honored with the prestigious Visionary Award from East West Players.

TAIKOPROJECT has performed and recorded with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Hans Zimmer, Alicia Keys, A.R. Rahman, John Legend, Meshell Ndegeocello, producer Squeak E. Clean, Sean Paul, Diplo, as well as international stars such as Greek singer Antonis Remos, Persian singer Mansour, Brazil's Olodum, and Netherlands' Tiesto. They appeared on Ovation TV's "The Art Of", The Late Late Show with James Corden, Food Network's Iron Chef Gauntlet, and the MTV Movie & TV Awards.

TAIKOPROJECT has performed at many of the premiere performing arts centers in the country, including the Ordway Center (St. Paul, MN), Meany Hall (Seattle, WA), Mondavi Center (Davis, CA), Tower Theatre (Bend, OR), Hatfield Hall (Terre Haute, IN), Lied Center (Lincoln, NE), Gammage Auditorium (Phoenix, AZ), Ford Theatres (Hollywood, CA), Cache Valley Center (Logan, UT), Macey Center (Socorro, NM), Green Music Center (Sonoma, CA) and the Ferst Center (Atlanta, GA), just to name a few. 

TAIKOPROJECT programs are made possible in part by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs, the MAP Fund (Creative Capital), the Japan Foundation, the Sansei Legacy Fund, the Toyota Giving Circle, AAPIP (Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy), the Union Bank Foundation, as well as our annual BaseBeat donors.  In 2021, the Ford Foundation, in association with the J. Paul Getty Trust and the California Community Foundation, recognized TAIKOPROJECT as one of “America’s Cultural Treasures.”

In Summer 2021, the troupe recorded audio tracks that were used as part of the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony. In 2022, they were featured in Lisa Ling’s “Take Out” limited series on HBO Max and Paramount Plus/MTV’s Clio Award and Telly Award-winning AAPI Heritage Month promotional feature. In 2023, the ensemble was selected for the Western Arts Alliance’s prestigious Performing Arts Discovery (PAD) program.

In 2024, they were invited to perform at the prestigious Coachella Festival with up-and-coming Japanese girl band Atarashii Gakko, sponsored by 88Rising, and performed at Ubisoft Forward for the Assassin’s Creed Shadows game reveal. In Fall 2024, TAIKOPROJECT was awarded a major three-year grant from the prestigious Perenchio Foundation because of “their proven track record of artistic excellence, community partnerships, and steady leadership.”

Performance Booking
Contact Executive Director Bryan Yamami at taikoproject@gmail.com or 213-268-4011

Educational Programs & Schools
Segerstrom Center ArtsTeach (Orange County, CA)
Music Center On Tour (Los Angeles County, CA)
TAIKOPROJECT (All other areas)

Media