FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 11, 2008

Contact: K.E. Schwab  

724.738.2199

 karl.schwab@sru.edu

Award-winning musicians bring traditional Japanese music to SRU

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Ryo Shiobara and Takumi Kato will present “Explosive Beats; Taiko Drumming and Traditional Japanese Music,” an evening of Taiko drumming, at 7 p.m. April 17 in Slippery Rock University’s Swope Recital Hall.

            The free performance will feature several types of traditional Japanese music, including the Taiko drums, shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese musical instrument, and the shinobue, a Japanese transverse flute. 

            Kato has performed before packed audiences around the world. He won first place, three years in a row at the Aichi Folk Music Competition. Shiobara, also an award winner in Taiko competitions, has been performing for 22 years. He received the top prize at the prestigious 2007 Tokyo International Competition, the highest Taiko award in Japan. He has also performed throughout the United States, Europe and his native Japan.

            The concert is sponsored by SRU’s International Arts and Cultures Series; Kaleidoscope, SRU’s annual arts festival, and the Bethany College Japan Outreach Program.

Slippery Rock University is Pennsylvania’s premier public residential university. Slippery Rock University provides students with a comprehensive learning experience that intentionally combines academic instruction with enhanced educational and learning opportunities that make a positive difference in their lives.