Members

Past Members

	Founder / Director After a tremendous experience with taiko in college, Diana wanted to extend the benefits of taiko drumming and infuse culture into her local community and thus began Naruwan Taiko. She has played taiko since 2006 with UC Berkeley's Raijin Taiko and looks to innovate styles by incorporating techniques from wushu (Chinese martial arts). Her musical experience also includes the piano and the violin. Diana is currently attending law school at the University of San Diego and is thankful for taiko every single day for providing the ultimate release from the rigors of academic life.
	Performer / Performance Coordinator Amy joined Naruwan Taiko in May 2008. Her musical experience includes the piano, which she continues to play in ensemble groups today.
	Performer / Equipment Manager Ali joined Naruwan Taiko in September of 2008 and is excited about the opportunity to learn and be creative with a group which shares the art of Taiko with such passion and generosity. Ali’s musical experience includes the piano, some banging on a standard drum kit, and lots of air band with her two wonderful children!
	Performer / Social Chair / Monday Class Assistant Kelly joined Naruwan Taiko in November of 2008. She enjoys playing the atarigane (ah-tah-ree-gah-nay) which is a saucer-shaped bell that helps to keep the beat, or "jiuchi", and also adds energy to a song. Of course she also loves to play the taiko drums! Kelly feels very grateful to her teachers and friends at Naruwan.
	Performer / Treasurer / Sunday Class Assistant Ha had never seen taiko before watching Naruwan perform. She feels very lucky to be learning from Naruwan today and hopes to play until she is old and grey. She likes miyake daiko, comfortable shoulders, and good-smelling trees.
	Performer / Equipment Manager After watching an ecstatic performance by Naruwan Taiko in 2009, Ryley joined the group to engage the harmonic excitement of Taiko rhythm. He has an interest in exploring different cultures as well as their musical expression. Beside his job with the Navy network and communication, Ryley plays tennis, practices Choy Li Fut (Chinese martial arts), and performs lion dance with the Vietnamese Buddhist Youth Association around Southern CA communities.
	Performer As one of the group's fledgling members, Kanji says he's lucky to find himself amongst a group of very talented and dedicated musicians. After growing up in Colorado, he spent a couple of years in Japan teaching English where he first got a taste of Taiko drumming and its magic to move and excite an audience. He looks forward to learning and contributing all that he can from and to this art, and is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something loud and proud.
	Performer / Secretary Yvonne began learning to play the Taiko drums in August 2009 and joined Naruwan Taiko in January of 2010. Her other musical history includes playing the violin and the piano as a child. Yvonne is excited and honored to be a member of Naruwan Taiko and has loved both the drumming and the camaraderie of the group. She finds the loud and lively nature of Taiko to be a great way to balance out the seriousness of the rest of her day working as a scientist in the biotech world.
	Performer / Performance Assistant Justin has had six years of choral experience in various acedemic (high school/college) settings and is self-taught in piano and guitar (and of course rock band). A self-proclaimed musical connoisseur, Justin's parents brought him up in a musical environment and both play multiple instruments. Justin is an incredibly nerdy dude who enjoys the company of his amazing friends.
	Performer / Class Equipment Manager Brent is a research biochemist by training but finds “right-brain” balance by participating in taiko. A member of Naruwan Taiko since 2010, Brent was initially attracted to the group due to an interest in Japanese culture having just completed a couple of language classes, but quickly discovered an affinity for the group and also rekindled his passion for ensemble music. Brent’s prior musical experience include marching band, orchestra (flute/piccolo), and jazz band (saxophone) in Jr. High and High School an undisclosed number of years ago…
	Performer Ruslan is a nerdy, geeky, dorky, and oftentimes obnoxiously verbose software engineer who finds that taiko balances out his life very nicely and is thankful for the company of his wonderful Naruwan bandmates. Naruwan is his first experience with taiko. When he is not working or playing taiko, Ruslan likes playing and developing video games, watching a good film, and enjoying a nice cup of pure cranberry juice (sometimes simultaneously).
	Performer Ayano started playing taiko in 2005 with Asayake Taiko at UCSD, and is now privileged to be a part of Naruwan Taiko. Joining a taiko group has been one of the best decisions Ayano has ever made in her life because 1) Nothing is quite as fun as banging on drums made of wine barrels and kiai-ing until her voice is hoarse. 2) She gets to meet lots of people in the community who also think making loud banging noises is cool. 3) She is forced to stay fit. 4) It reminds her of obon festivals, good food, and summer in Japan. 5) It motivates her to keep practicing the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute. 6) She gets to watch inspiring performances by other taiko groups. 7) Taiko is family.
	Performer / Class Equipment Manager Jimmy was fascinated when he first saw a taiko performance through UCSD's Asayake Taiko as he was seeking a new hobby that would inspire him tremendously. Opportunity knocked on his computer screen, and he found Naruwan Taiko at the right time. He eagerly started taking community workshops with Naruwan in mid-2010, then joined the group in late September. He also has recently joined Asayake as a 2nd-year student at UCSD. Now as a privileged member of both groups, he will be juggling school with playing taiko. Taking advantage of these opportunities, he strives to achieve musical self-improvement and creativity, and strengthen the love for his hobbies that include TAIKO!
	Performer / Performance Coordinator Kristi first saw Naruwan perform at the International Food Festival in June 2010. What drew her to the group was their kindness towards new students and their amazing ability to synchronize their energy and their enthusiasm when performing. Kristi joined Naruwan to get in touch with her Okinawan roots. Since she can barely speak Japanese, playing taiko is a way to give back to the culture she loves so much. Kristi works as an event planner for the Marine Corps when she is not playing taiko and her favorite pastime is cooking for friends and family. She also eats even amounts of food and loves to count people's toes. (She has yet to find someone with 6 toes.)
	Performer After playing several sports starting at the young age of 5, Mark Takesuye found that he was not interested in them because of his lack of skill. By the age of 10, he had started playing with Kokoro Taiko in Long Beach, where he practiced and performed for 6 years. After a break during college, Mark decided to rejoin the taiko community as a performing member of Asayake Taiko at UCSD, serving the group as Director of External Affairs. After graduating, he has now found himself performing with Naruwan Taiko, and is honored to play with such great performers, and wonderful friends.
	Performer Sarah was born into a taiko-playing family, but did not begin playing consistently until she joined Asayake Taiko at UC San Diego in 2008. There, she realized that taiko was way cooler than she had initially realized. Sarah joined Naruwan in 2010 after suffering from taiko-withdrawals following graduation and has since adopted the group's dynamic, high-energy performance style. She often comes to practice with paint in her hair due to work as a scenic artist at La Jolla Playhouse, and leaves practice prepared for nights dedicated to becoming an illustrator. Ultimately, taiko is a means for Sarah to connect with her family, heritage, and ki.