The April 9 event will feature Taiko Center of Los Angeles musicians and dancersin two high-energy performances of Japanese taiko drumming.

Santa Barbara Bowl announced that, in collaboration with the Children’s Creative Project, they will present performers from the Taiko Center of Los Angeles in two free shows for Santa Barbara area public schools. The two 45-minute performances will be held at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Monday, April 9 at 9:30 AM and 10:45 AM.

As part of the Bowl’s performing arts Education Outreach initiative, the event will host more than 4,400 students for two short educational musical presentations where the students will experience high-energy performances of Japanese taiko drumming.

Taiko Center of Los Angeles, founded by Reverend Tom Kurai in 1996, works to preserve the art of Japanese taiko drumming in the community through holding classes, workshops, and shows. The group has performed over 2,000 times across Southern California.

“These special performances are the result of wonderful collaborations between organizations dedicated to providing diverse art and cultural opportunities for children and families,” said Susan Salcido, Santa Barbara County superintendent of schools. “We are grateful for the commitment of the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, the City of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture to increase access to art and culture and make this extraordinary opportunity available to so many of our students.”

The Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation Education Outreach provides support and funding for performing arts education in the Santa Barbara community and dedicates one dollar of every ticket sold at the Bowl to this end. Education Outreach, part of the Bowl’s core mission, reaches 20,000 touch-points with students each year and provides funding to artists, schools, and nonprofit arts programs to advance performing arts education in our area. The Bowl thanks two generous donors who have helped make this event possible: Elizabeth and Kenny Slaught, for generously underwriting all performance costs, and Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture, for providing a grant to assist with the costs of bus transportation.

A program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office, Children’s Creative Project presents visual arts and performing arts instruction by resident artists and touring artist performances in 92 schools serving more than 50,000 students in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties each year. The Children’s Creative Project also presents the annual I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival to support, in part, their arts education programs. This year’s festival, held at the Santa Barbara Mission, will be May 26–28.

The two performances are not open to the public. To attend this event, please contact Kai Tepper at Santa Barbara Bowl Education Outreach: 805-962-7422 ext. 7; [email protected]

About Santa Barbara Bowl
The Santa Barbara Bowl is a 4,562-seat outdoor amphitheater, located in Santa Barbara, California. Constructed in 1936 as a WPA project, the Bowl, as it is affectionately known, is one of the most scenic and intimate amphitheaters in the world, attracting the biggest names in music with its unique ocean and city views from its landmark stage, The Pavilion. Recently, the Bowl was voted Best Live Music venue in Santa Barbara by both the Santa Barbara Independent and Santa Barbara News-Press, respectively. To learn more, visit www.sbbowl.com.

Contact:
Eric Shiflett – (805) 962-7411, x114
[email protected]
www.sbbowl.com