Basic Information

Leadership Structure		Collaboration of Artists
Primary Purpose of Group		professional

Background Information

Group's Mission and Motivation

On Ensemble's primary mission is to expand the artistic possiblities of the taiko as an art form and produce world class music.

Structure and Philosophy
Describe the ensemble's organizational structure and philosophy, including leadership structure, membership policy, and instructional process.

The ensemble does not have a rigid leadership structure. Administrative and artistic responsiblities are shared somewhat equally and most big decisions are done by concensus.

Group History
Describe how, where, and why the ensemble was founded. What was its inspiration?

The group had its first performance in Hakodate Japan in August of 2001 and made its American debut in May of 2002.

List of Founding Members

Masato Baba
Kristofer Bergstrom
Michelle Fujii
Shoji Kameda

List of Current Members

Masato Baba
Kristofer Bergstrom
Michelle Fujii
Shoji Kameda
Yuta Kato
Kelvin Underwood

Membership Composition
(i.e. ethnicity, generation, average years of experience, musical backgrounds, and motivation for playing)

All members are between the ages of 21-31. The average years of experience is around 15. Movitation for playing is to push the artistic envelope.

Comunidad
Description of the group's community - regional, ethnic, social, etc.

The ensemble has strong ties to many West Coast taiko groups and we definitely consider ourselves a part of the greater Los Angeles community.

Performances, Recordings, Publications

Audio & Video Recordings
List a selection of publicly accessible audio and/or video recordings featuring the ensemble.

Dust and Sand : On Ensemble's debut studio album coming Summer of 2005
Check the website for video clips and MP3 downloads: www.OnEnsemble.org