Miyuki Black

Raiden Kids Taiko, Kamloops BC 

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Miyuki Black is a Kamloops-based taiko practitioner and early childhood educator with over 14 years of experience working with young children in both Japan and Canada. She is passionate about introducing taiko to the next generation and creating inclusive, engaging spaces where children can connect with rhythm, culture, and self-expression. Through her work, Miyuki integrates music, movement, and cultural education to make taiko accessible and meaningful for young learners and families. She is particularly interested in using taiko as a tool for community building, confidence development, and cross-cultural connection. Miyuki is excited to continue growing her practice, collaborate with other taiko leaders across Canada, and expand opportunities for children and families to experience taiko.

Yoko Oda

Yukon Taiko, Whitehorse YT

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Yoko Oda lives on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta'an Kwäch'än Council in Whitehorse, Yukon. She is a Japanese immigrant who has lived in Canada for 17 years. She is a mother, community builder, and social worker in her profession.Yoko has been playing taiko for 11 years. Yukon Taiko was founded in 2015, starting with garbage bin taiko for three years before they purchased real drums in 2018. Yoko has been part of the group since its founding and has coordinated workshops for the community, youth, and Yukon Taiko members. Taiko is her way of expressing her identity and emotions, and she is always excited to connect with others who share a similar mindset. After a decade in a small group, Yoko is ready to grow beyond local performances and explore new possibilities with others taiko players in Canada.

Margaret McKenty

Hinode Taiko, Winnipeg MB

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Margaret McKenty is a long-time member of Hinode Taiko Inc. (Winnipeg), having performed in venues from Saskatoon to St. Louis to Thunder Bay to Tokyo. A passionate student of taiko, Margaret has led curriculum design & instruction for HTI’s adult introductory classes since 2018, as well as workshops at the Manitoba School for the Deaf (Winnipeg), Living Sky Taiko (Saskatoon), and Regina Hibiki Taiko. Having served in various portfolios on HTI’s Board of Directors, Margaret was recently elected to a 4th term as President. A Charter Member of the Taiko Community Alliance, she helped wordsmith TCA’s Statement of Core Values & Guiding Principles before serving two full terms on TCA’s Board of Directors 2015-2021. Margaret is equally devoted to pre-classical European music. A founding member of the Winnipeg Early Music Society, she has performed in genres ranging from Medieval/Folk fusion to Renaissance madrigals to Baroque operas.

Justin Plummer

JCCC Kyowa Taiko, Toronto ON

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Justin Plummer is a mixed 5th generation (gosei) Japanese Canadian; the child of an Anglo-Indo-Luso-Guyanese immigrant father and an Anglo-Japanese mother. Since first taking taiko classes at age 7, and becoming an apprentice with Yakudo Traditional Japanese Drummers at age 12 until their dissolution in 2016, Justin has now spent their entire adult life working to establish JCCC Kyowa Taiko; as a founding member in 2017, Director of Rehearsals since 2019, and overall Co-Director since 2022 with a focus on internal management and development. Additionally, Justin is one of Kyowa Taiko’s lead instructors. Justin hopes to continue to honour their ancestral legacy of resilience during the forced evacuation from British Columbia during WWII by preserving and sharing taiko with many generations to come.

Noriko Kobayashi

Onibana Taiko, Canada Miyake Taiko Kai, Vancouver Hachijo Kai, Vancouver BC

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Noriko K. Kobayashi (she/they) moved from Montreal to London, England, as a youth, for a five-year immersion into various punk rock bands. Kobayashi then travelled to San Francisco, co-founding Riot Grrrl punk rock band Tribe 8, spearheading the genre of queercore. Later in Vancouver, she was introduced to taiko and joined Sawagi Taiko. She also culminated her academic studies with her thesis, Development of Canadian Kumi-Daiko - ensemble taiko drumming and the article, “Asian Women Kick Ass Through Japanese Drumming”. Kobayashi then spent many years in Japan studying with masters of taiko (Oedo Sukeroku Taiko, Miyake Geino Doushikai, M. Asano, etc.), shigin (poetry chanting), and shamisen (nagauta and Tsugaru Oyama-Ryu). Returning to Vancouver, she co-founded Onibana Taiko, leads the Canada Miyake Geino Doushikai, teaches taiko, and currently performs shamisen as NoriNori, enthusiastically blending traditional Japanese music with rock to promote new rock shamisen sounds.

www.norinoriproduction.ca | www.onibanataiko.ca

Nancy Mullick

SkyFire Taiko, Yellowknife NWT

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Nancy Mullick first saw taiko in Yellowknife, NWT at Folk on the Rocks in 2008. She has been playing taiko since 2009 and has had the opportunity to study with some of Canada’s top professional taiko groups – Uzume Taiko (BC), Fubuki Daiko (MB) and Booming Tree Taiko (AB) – as well as Wadaiko Tokara in Japan. She is co-founder of SkyFire Taiko (2015), Canada’s most northern taiko ensemble, based in Yellowknife, NWT. Nancy has been teaching taiko in Yellowknife since 2020 (yes, she started teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic). Over six years, the Yellowknife Taiko Community has grown from 8 students to over 30 regular students representing a range of ages and backgrounds who come regularly for classes and activities (especially our potlucks).

Hiroshi Koshiyama

Fubuki Daiko, Winnipeg MB

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Hiroshi Koshiyama trained with Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka and the San Francisco Taiko Dojo where he performed in the film “Rising Sun” and at Carnegie Hall. He co-founded the Winnipeg-based taiko group Fubuki Daiko with his wife Naomi Guilbert in 1995. Their self-titled CD received a Prairie Music Award for Outstanding Instrumental recording in 2001. He has performed and taught throughout North America as one of the group’s principal composers, collaborating with various artists including The Northern Plains Ballet Company, Absent Sound, Mu Daiko and Ensō Daiko. He is formally trained by renowned Lion Dancer, Nosuke Akiyama. Along with Naomi he has taught adults and children in Winnipeg for the past 30 years. They have also offered workshops and classes to taiko groups in Berea, KY, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Grand Forks, Ottawa, Edmonton and Thunder Bay.

Valerie Hongoh

Ame no Ato, Montreal QC

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Valerie Hongoh is half Japanese, born and raised in Montreal, discovered taiko later in life and fell in love with the art form that helped her to reconcile and reconnect with her Asian heritage. As a lifelong taiko learner, she is ever grateful for the opportunities to connect with others, learning to face and overcome challenges, reflection and growth that taiko has afforded. Co-founder of the Montreal-based taiko duo, Ame no Ato, that strives to present traditional and modern taiko styles, she aspires to share taiko energy forward in the hopes that it might help others as it has helped her.

Jackie Steele

Uzume Taiko, Vancouver BC

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Jackie is a Japan scholar and intersectional feminist law & political science researcher with 25 years working and raising children in rural Japan. Trained in piano/choral singing, Jackie fell in love with taiko at age 22 after seeing Arashi Daiko perform. While working on local democracy in northern Nagano, she experienced Kodo's Earth Celebration, and later performed on the Fringe Stage. Her taiko training includes: North American Taiko Conferences, Seattle Taiko Institute, Kodo and Miyake-jiima taiko workshops at EC, Kodo Taiko Kenshu, and performing with Hitoeyama Daiko, Oto-Wa Taiko, Kamo Tsunamura Daiko, and Soul Taiko. Passionate about taiko as a joyous form of musical expression that can empower all beautiful individualities towards more joy and freedom, Jackie is devoted to building Uzume Taiko’s next decade of creative impact through co-create fusion innovations of live music, drum and dance experiences in solidarity with other taiko innovators and intercultural creatives across Japan and Canada.

Carley Okamura

Kita no Taiko,  Edmonton AB

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Carley Okamura is a mixed-race Japanese Canadian yonsei, who was born and raised in Edmonton (Amiskwaciwâskahikan ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ ). She joined Kita no Taiko, the oldest taiko group in Alberta, at the age of 16. Since then she has happily grown in taiko and enjoys teaching, creating stage productions, and collaborations with other performance groups. She has served on the Artistic Board, and is currently president of Kita no Taiko. Her exploration of the taiko community has led her to serve two terms on the Board of the Taiko Community Alliance, with two terms as president. She created her production company Rabbits Three Cultural Connections in 2019 to create pieces focused on community and social topics. Carley strives to uplift taiko and cultural arts in a modern context, and explore how taiko intersects with other areas of wellness and identity.​

www.rabbitsthree.ca

James Bykowy

Living Sky Taiko, Saskatoon SK

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James got his start in taiko after seeing Kita No Taiko perform in 1998. He was a member of Todoroki Taiko in Calgary from 2004-2006 and started Living Sky Taiko in Saskatoon in 2009, and has been an active member and leader in the group ever since. Fully acknowledging that Saskatchewan is a relative "taiko outpost", he committed to attending several NATC events for exposure and ideas, bringing back technique, drills, shared material, and equipment. All the while, he continued building Living Sky Taiko by performing around the city at various festivals and offering introductory workshops and classes to interested parties, contributing to ongoing membership. James helped the Regina Japanese Cultural Club establish their own taiko group, which would eventually become Regina Hibiki Taiko. As a taiko leader, James strives to make taiko accessible and fun for those who are interested and excited by this performance art, as well as continue to showcase pieces for the general public, because it's too awesome not to.

Mikio Owaki

Arashi Daiko, Montreal QC

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Mikio Owaki joined Arashi Taiko in 1987 and has been actively involved ever since. Over the years, he has taken on a leadership role, providing guidance and support to the group. Grounded in respect, compassion, and gratitude, Mikio places great importance on proper etiquette and meaningful connection. Through taiko drumming, he strives to share the beauty of Japanese culture with a wider audience. While pursuing rich, resonant sounds that move the heart, he also passes on the experience he has gained and continues to refine his skills through ongoing practice.