Settlement and PIFA Enter the Time Machine

The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts showcases the diversity of the arts throughout the Philadelphia region, and after a remarkable debut in 2011, this year's festival takes the form of a month-long journey through time from March 28 to April 27, 2013. With the mysterious prompt "If you had a time machine..." Settlement Music School joins dozens of local arts organizations in collectively revisiting the past and imagining the future.

Settlement's KyoDaiko ensemble

Settlement's contribution to this wide-reaching festival takes just a short trip back in time -- to 2011 -- but with music that reaches back to much more ancient traditions. We're honored to partner with Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in West Fairmount Park in presenting "Hiraki," a newly written piece that commemorates the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011.

Composer and soloist Kaoru Watanabe

The performance, which will take place April 13 at PNC Bank Presser Recital Hall at Settlement's Mary Louise Curtis branch and April 18 at Shofuso Japanese House, features Settlement's KyoDaiko Taiko drummers along with composer and performer Kaoru Watanabe, a New York-based practitioner of various Japanese transverse bamboo fue or flutes, the taiko drum as well as the Western flute. 

His music blends the folk and classical traditions of Japan with contemporary improvisational and experimental music. Kaoru has performed with such artists as jazz pianist Jason Moran and Kabuki actor Bando Tamasaburo, and was a member and artistic director of Japanese taiko ensemble Kodo. As an educator, Kaoru teaches workshops and masterclasses internationally, courses at Princeton and Wesleyan University, and regular classes at his own studio, the Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Center in Brooklyn.

Join us on April 13 and 18 for Settlement's PIFA performances, which connect modern music and history with centuries-old tradition, and check out PIFA.org for announcements by the other participating arts and cultural organizations.  

Marching to the Beat of a Very Big Drum

As a few of you may already know, there's a vibrant community of Taiko drummers in Philadelphia, and Settlement is a big part of it. And if you don't know what we're talking about? Taiko is a traditional Japanese drumming that uses specially designed drums and incorporates stylized movement into each performance.

Need a visual? Check out members of Settlement's Taiko ensemble in action at last year's Philly Fashion Week.



That's Taiko teacher (and new Mary Louise Curtis Branch Director) Kris Rudzinski leading off the performance. If you like what you see, being a part of it has never been easier.

Just this week, we announced a series of 5-week Taiko classes at our West Philadelphia Branch on Wynnefield Avenue. You can see the full offerings here.

These classes start October 3, but there's still time to get involved. If you have any questions, call our West Philadelphia Branch for details at 215-320-2640 or leave a comment below!