Danny rallies the crowd for MMNY!

On June 21st, in the midst of a heat wave, Soh Daiko hauled our drums over to Riverside Park to participate in Make Music New York 2012. MMNY is a festival of free concerts in public spaces which were scattered all throughout the five boroughs of New York City. The festival also was celebrated in over 460 cities around the worl, making it a global celebration of music.

Soh Daiko performed three pieces, one which was a debut of a commemoration piece for taiko Grandmaster Daihachi Oguchi. The piece was practiced and performed for the “Hiryu Project” where taiko groups around the world played this well-known piece written by Oguchi-sensei to celebrate his life and commitment to spreading taiko around the globe.

Afterwards, Soh Daiko invited the park dwellers, runners, and other people passing by to join us for Obon Dancing. Although reluctant at first due to the heat and some shyness, Danny rallied the audience to try and together with Soh Daiko members there was a great circle of Obon dancing.

The start of Hiryu

Ending with our signature piece

Sunset at 8pm over the Hudson River