Eitetsu Hayashi
After 11 years of performing in a group, Eitetsu started performing solo in 1982. In 1984, he debuted at Carnegie Hall as the first Japanese taiko drum soloist and gained international acclaim. In 2000, he performed with the Berlin Philharmonic in Waldbühne, Germany, and overwhelmed an audience of over 20,000. Since then, he has performed with many symphony orchestras and artists of different genres worldwide.
Eitetsu has pioneered the field of traditionally unprecedented taiko solos, including the Odaiko solo techniques and the creation of original techniques using a set of multiple taiko drums. He has developed a new genre of "Taiko Music" to be transmitted from Japan to the world, and is active in Japan and overseas. In 2018, he performed 6 concerts in 4 cities in the Japan-Canada Friendship 90th Anniversary Tour in Canada and in October performed in the official performance of the Japan-France Friendship 160th Anniversary Japan Expo “Japonisum 2018”. This year, he worked for production and recording as a concept video production staff for the “Tokyo 2020 NIPPON Festival”.
Eitetsu contributes to a large number of large-scale dispatches for introducing Japanese drum music and culture for each International Friendship and Exchange Year for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Relations Foundation, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
He has authored many publications, including the newly refurbished version of "Ashitano Taiko Uchie" (Hatori Shoten), autobiography "Taiko Hizuki-Dokuso no Kiseki" (Kodansha), and many other articles in journals and magazines. He has received the 1997 Minister of Education Prize for Arts and Culture, the 2001 Japan Traditional Culture Promotion Award, and the 2017 Matsuo Entertainment Awards.
#TaikoCelebration2021
WTC 2020
NEWS
WTC Update (June )
June 24, 2020
WTC Committee is pleased to confirm that the inaugural World Taiko Conference will go ahead.
In light of the global spread of COVID-19 and ongoing travel restrictions, we will hold WTC 2020 as a mainly online event. Please join us from around the world on November 21st and 22nd!
We are designing content to inspire, connect, and give back to the taiko community, while fostering new bonds in our surrounding communities.
There will be a lineup of premium videos by various representatives of the global taiko community, opportunities for taiko players around the world to network online, and other events and experiences that we hope will make you love and enjoy taiko all the more. We can’t wait to share it with you all. We plan to announce further details in August. Thanks for your patience!
Stay safe and take care, everyone.
Looking forward to seeing you all online for WTC in November!