About

USC Kazan Taiko was founded in the fall of 2002 by Koichi Sanchez and Bridge Mei as the first Japanese taiko ensemble group at the University of Southern California. Our goal is to provide a place for our members to express themselves through rhythm and movement, while learning and participating in the tradition of Japanese taiko drumming.

Kazan performs at events hosted by our fellow Trojans as well as off-campus performances in the Greater Los Angeles area, in an effort to make taiko known to our campus and local communities. We are fortunate to have workshops with many talented and influential members of the Southern California taiko community, such as members of Kinnara Taiko and former apprentices of Kodo Taiko.

Outside of practices, our members love to have fun, explore diverse activities, and indulge their mutually shared addiction to food. We hold various social events throughout the year, including after-practice dinners, game nights, joint events with other USC organizations, and late-night karaoke. See photos on our Facebook page!

Kazan Media

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Members

Here are our current members! Learn more about each generation here!

Join Kazan!

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Dates and times for the Fall 2023 semester will be posted soon, so stay tuned! Follow us on Instagram @kazantaiko or Facebook @KazanTaiko for updates.

Information Session:

TBA

Open Practices (Fall 2023):

Location: On top of Downey Way Parking Lot

Wednesday, Sept 7, 7:00-9:00 PM

Thursday, Sept 8, 8:00-10:00 PM

Wednesday, Sept 14, 7:00-9:00 PM

Thursday, Sept 15, 8:00-10:00 PM

Practice time/location (Fall 2023):

Sundays 2:00-5:00 PM @ Lyon Recreation Center (Band Room, 2nd floor)

Wednesdays 7:00-9:00 PM @ On top of Downey Way Parking Lot

Thursdays 8:00-10:00 PM @ Lyon Recreation Center (Band Room, 2nd floor)

We recruit every fall for the academic year! If you are interested in our group, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We would love to hear from you!

Please also follow our blog if you would like updates on our events and performances.

 

Performance Request

If you would like to request a performance from Kazan Taiko, please submit the form below, or copy/paste then e-mail to kzntaiko@usc.edu.

We ask that requests be made at least 3 weeks in advance to give us time to prepare and make sure we have performers available.