SAN FRANCISCO — SFIAF and CTN are pleased to present the San Francisco debut of the world renowned master of Taiko drumming, Eitetsu Hayashi, along with his ensemble Eitetsu Fu-Un no Kai at 8 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 1, and at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 2, at the 700-seat McKenna Theater on the main campus of San Francisco State University.
The engagement is part of Eitetsu’s tour of the Americas as Japan’s Cultural Envoy that includes concerts in Cuba and Trinidad as well as the United States.
Internationally recognized and highly respected as a pioneering performer, composer, and teacher, Eitetsu has toured extensively around the world to share the art of Wadaiko, which epitomizes the essence of beauty and discipline of Japanese culture.
Despite the popularity of Taiko across the United States, American practitioners and the general public have had few opportunities to experience the art of Eitetsu. At McKenna Hall he will perform solo with his signature O-daiko (Giant Taiko) as well as with his superb ensemble members.
Taiko drums crafted by the Asano family (a tradition over 400 years old) are shipped from Japan for the concert. Eitetsu will also be joined on-stage by Bay Area special guests: pianist Dee Spencer, for an improvised rendition of the Gershwin’s 1930s classic hit I Got Rhythm; and the San Francisco School of the Arts classical music students, who will perform a section of Hi-Ten-Yu (a concerto for Japanese drum and orchestra).
Having made his solo U.S. debut with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in 1984 as the first-ever solo taiko performer, Eitetsu has played with major orchestras including the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic, as well as with world renowned artists including Yosuke Yamashita, Sadao Watanabe, Kim Duk Soo, and Mamady Keita to name just a few.
The engagement in San Francisco is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Art Works. Additional support is provided by the Western State Arts Federation, California Arts Council and the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. The 2014 U.S. tour of Eitetsu Hayashi and Eitetsu Fu-Un no Kai is supported by The Japan Foundation and Arts Council Tokyo.
Tickets are $27, $45 for reserved seating. Students and seniors tickets $5 discount.
Contact the Box Office by calling (415) 338-2467 or online at www.sfiaf.org
For groups sales of 10+ or for more information, call (415) 399-9554.
McKenna Theater on the SF State University is located at 1600 Holloway Street.
