For a PDF version of this press release, click here.
Share it!
The astounding @KodoHeartbeatEn (Twitter)/@kodoheartbeat (Facebook and Instagram) brings the music and legacy of the taiko drum to the @KimmelCC (Twitter)/@KimmelCulturalCampus (Facebook and Instagram) on 3/7/23. For more info, visit kimmelculturalcampus.org.
Press Contacts:
Lauren A. Woodard Hall Hannah Palermo
484-832-1963 267-765-3724
lhall@kimmelculturalcampus.org hpalermo@alliedglobalmarketing.com
KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS PRESENTS INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED TAIKO PERFORMING ARTS ENSEMBLE KODO ONE EARTH TOUR: TSUZUMI
MARCH 7, 2023
“If there is such a thing as perfection in music, KODO comes as near to it as any group in the world.”
- The Boston Globe
"Superlatives don't really exist to convey the primal power and bravura beauty of Kodo." - The Chicago Tribune
“Balancing a deadly aggression with utter tranquility, their [Kodo] sound stretches from the lightest of rainfall to cataclysmic thunderclaps, from pleasant laughter to discordant fear ....”
- The Guardian (UK)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (January 23, 2022) – The Kimmel Cultural Campus presents KODO One Earth Tour: Tsuzumi, at the Miller Theater (formerly Merriam Theater) on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. The internationally renowned taiko performing arts ensemble is ready to drum its way from Japan to Philadelphia – bringing heart, history, and high-energy taiko drumming to the Avenue of the Arts. This performance is a part of the Campus’ 2022-23 Family Discovery Series, sponsored by Dietz & Watson.
Striving to both preserve and re-interpret traditional Japanese performing arts, KODO explores the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum: the taiko. Since the group’s debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981, KODO has given over 6,500 performances on five continents, forging new directions for a vibrant living art-form. The Tsuzumi tour will be the group’s first tour back since the pandemic.
“The word ‘kodo’ in Japanese translates to ‘heartbeat’ in English, a primal source of all rhythm,” said Frances Egler, Vice President of Theatrical Programming & Presentations on the Kimmel Cultural Campus. “KODO celebrates Japanese culture, music, and tradition through movement and music, and we are honored to welcome them back to Philadelphia, a city that celebrates diverse cultures, backgrounds, and artistic expressions.”
Tsuzumi opens with a very special piece in the KODO ensemble’s history that is seldom performed on tour: “Dyu-Ha”. The late Maki Ishii, a modern composer who was introduced to KODO by conductor Seiji Ozawa, presented this piece to KODO as a gift to congratulate the ensemble on its debut in 1981. This will be the first time KODO has performed “Dyu-Ha” in North America since 1989. The 40th anniversary tour program also features Ishii’s masterpiece “Monochrome” and other KODO signature pieces, such as “O-daiko”, “Yatai-bayashi”, and “Zoku”, coupled with new compositions.
Under the direction of Yuichiro Funabashi, KODO Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble members on the 40th Anniversary tour include Eiichi Saito, Jun Jidai, Koki Miura, Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga, Reo Kitabayashi, Mizuki Yoneyama, Yuta Kimura, Yuki Hirata, Taiyo Onoda, Kei Sadanari, Moe Niiyama, Jumpei Nonaka, and Hana Ogawa. Production team members include Music Advisor Tatsuya Shimono, Voice Instructor Yumi Nogami, Posture & Movement Instructor Tatsuo Kudo, Technical Director Kei Olivier Furukata, Lighting Designer Kenichi Mashiko (S.L.S.), Stage Managers Kazuki Imagai and Yusuke Hayakawa, Company Manager Yui Kamiya, Tour Managers Natsumi Ikenaga, Sorami Ikeyama, and Minami Sasaki, and Assistant Manager Donnie Keeton.
The 2023 KODO tour is supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan. For more information about KODO, please visit www.KODO.or.jp.
Family Discovery Series
The 2022–23 Family Discovery Series returns for its 7th year with a lineup including kid-friendly favorites and re-envisioned family classics, curated to appeal to the littlest growing arts lovers. Click here for a full list of series programming. Family Discovery Series multi-show packages start at $18.00 per show. Single tickets to all Family Discovery Series shows are on sale now. Choose three or more shows from our spectacular Family Discovery Series and save. This season's Family Discovery Series is generously sponsored by Dietz & Watson.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999 or online at www.kimmelculturalcampus.org. In-person ticket sales can be conducted daily from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Academy of Music Box Office, located at 240 S. Broad Street. See www.kimmelculturalcampus.org for more information.
KODO One Earth Tour: Tsuzumi
Miller Theater (formerly Merriam Theater) on the Kimmel Cultural Campus
March 7, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
# # #
KIMMEL CULTURAL CAMPUS
Located in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia, our mission is to engage the region's diverse communities with art through performance and education. Our Cultural Campus serves more than 1-million guests per year and includes Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, and SEI Innovation Studio), the Academy of Music, and the Miller Theater (formerly the Merriam Theater) – representing more than 160 years of rich history for the performing arts along Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. We are home to The Philadelphia Orchestra and six esteemed Resident Companies: Opera Philadelphia, Philadelphia Ballet, PHILADANCO, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Curtis Institute of Music. With nearly 9,000 seats per night, we are the region's most impactful performing arts center, and the second largest in the country. Our Cultural Campus serves as a preeminent and inclusive place to enjoy exceptional experiences that reflect the spirit of our region by cultivating a creative and socially responsible environment where our community shares experiences that are delivered with pride, integrity, and respect. As a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization, we collaborate on, present, and produce a broad range of relevant and meaningful events, we serve as an active gathering space for social and community events, we educate the region's young people through access to quality arts experiences, and we provide support to artists in the creation of new work. Read Kimmel Cultural Campus' vision statement, world view, and mission statement here. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and how it encompasses our mission, coworkers, and programs here.
# # #
For photography, please visit https://kcccpress.smugmug.com
For a PDF version of this press release, click here.