Photo credit: Marcia Campbell
Kenny ENDO is one of the leading artists in contemporary taiko and percussion. He is at the vanguard of this genre, continuing to pave new paths in Japanese drumming even after forty years as a career taiko artist. A performer, composer, and teacher, with numerous awards and accolades, Kenny is a consummate artist, blending taiko with rhythms influenced from around the world into original melodies and improvisation. He is arguably one of the most versatile musicians in the genre, crossing easily between classical Japanese music and his own neo-traditional, globally inspired variety.
Kenny's 40th Anniversary Celebration Tour comes to Miller Outdoor Theatre with as Houston celebrates the 23rd Annual Houston Japan Festival.
The Kenny Endo Contemporary Ensemble will perform original works combining taiko with other instruments such as koto (Japanese zither), shinobue or shakuhachi (bamboo flutes), vibraphones, viola, tsugaru shamisen, saxophone, violin, guitar, and djembe (type of African drum).
Featured guest artists will include:
- Kenny Endo, odaiko, taiko set, percussion
- Kaoru Watanabe, Japanese bamboo flutes (nohkan, ryuteki, shinobue), Western flute, taiko
- Sumie Kaneko, Japanese koto, shamisen
- Eien Hunter-Ishikawa, vibraphones, taiko, percussion
- Chizuko Endo, taiko, percussion
This is a ticketed event for the covered seating area. Free tickets are available (4 per person over age 16 while they last) at the Miller Outdoor Theatre box office the day of the performance between the hours of 10:30am-1pm. If tickets remain at 1pm, the box office will re-open one hour before show time to distribute the remaining tickets. As always, open seating on the hill.
For more information, visit Miller Outdoor Theatre at milleroutdoortheatre.com