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Taikoza is a Japanese Taiko group that performs internationally and is based in New york City. The group leader, Marco Lienhard () is a Taiko and Shakuhachi Master that has been playing for over. 40 years throughout the world. He also has a small ensemble, East Winds Ensemble that has several Cds of. Studio ghibli music that have over 10 milion streams only on Sprotify. a are Music can be found on iTunes under Marco Lienhard, East Winds Ensemble or Taikoza Taikoza. Experience the thunderous rhythms of the ancestral Japanese Taiko drums and the magical sounds of the bamboo flutes. Hear the 150 lb. Taiko drum; give thunderous voice to traditional and new compositions. Roughly translated, Taiko means big drums-and that’s exactly what Taikoza brings. Big Drums, powerful rhythms, and electrifying, room-thumping energy. This exciting group draws from Japan’s rich tradition of music and performance to create a highly visual performance. With colorful traditional costumes and dynamic motion, Taikoza’s shows are immensely popular with audiences of all ages. Drawing from Japan's rich tradition of music and performance, Taikoza has created a new sound using a variety of traditional instruments. In addition to drums of assorted sizes, Taikoza incorporates the shakuhachi and the Fue (both bamboo flutes). The group has toured internationally and has appeared on ESPN, NBC, History Channel, etc. Taikoza’s music is featured on Nintendo’s Wii game: Red Steel 1 and 2. The group has performed for the SUMO tournament at Madison Square Garden and tour and for the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Taikoza presents a very popular assemblies and workshops for schools in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Florida, California and Virginia area for Young Audiences and Symphony Space. Taikoza did a tour of Birmingham, AL area schools funded with a NEA grant that the Birmingham International Festival received. Taikoza was formed in New York City by members of Ondekoza (the group that started the renaissance of taiko in Japan in the 60s and introduced Taiko to the world). The members of Taikoza have performed in some of the most prestigious halls and locations such as Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Suntory Hall, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and House of Music, Osaka Festival Hall, Lincoln Center, Mount Fuji, Miyajima Temple in Hiroshima, Peace Memorial Hall in Hiroshima and many others. They have performed in Russia, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, Germany, France, Mexico, Belarus, Republic of Georgia, and many more. Performances include corporate events for Merrill Lynch, Gillette, Ameritech, City of Los Angeles, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Dell Computers, PepsiCo, Bloomberg, Pfizer, Merck, Diesel, Sony, City of Tokyo, and City of New York etc. Htpp:// Marco Lienhard Facebook/ Marco Lienhard Taikoza@ Marco Lienhard was the lead performer of the legendary Ondekoza in Japan (1981-1998) performing on Taiko, Shakuhachi, Nohkan and Shinobue. He mastered the Shakuhachi (5-holed bamboo flute) in Japan under Katsuya Yokoyama. Marco Lienhard is the founder and director of East Winds Ensemble and Taikoza both based in New York City. He has recorded many CDs including the critically acclaimed debut solo CD: Shakuhachi and the JPF award nominated CD, Taikoza: Beginnings. He has composed music for the release of a classic silent movie: The Wrath of the Gods. His compositions for the Shakuhachi, the Taiko, the Shinobue and the Koto have been performed internationally. Marco Lienhard can be heard on the soundtrack of the award Nintendo Wii game: Red Steel 1 & 2. Lienhard has performed worldwide including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, Hammerstein Ballroom, Boston Symphony Hall, Tchaikovsky Hall, the House of Music in Moscow, Bolshoi Circus, Osaka Castle Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Center and Suntory Hall. He was the featured Shakuhachi player in the Temple of the Golden Pavilion with the NYC Opera. In 2015, he premiered a new composition with the Juilliard New Music Ensemble. Marco Lienhard and Taikoza are very active in the arts in Education programs. He was the recipient of many grants: the Rockefeller Foundation, NEA, Japan Foundation, and Puffin Foundation. He has toured internationally with Japan’s Monbusho (Japanese Ministry of Culture) and toured Brazil with the Japan Foundation.
