What is new in 2023?
It’s been more than two years since our last in person kaDON event. This year we are going to make up for lost time with TWO events! The Fort Wayne Cherry Blossom Festival will be a weekend packed with workshops and community building activities culminating in a performance at the festival. The Utah Taiko Experience will be a 10 day experience with over 40 hours of workshop, daily outdoor experiences and a public concert at the end of the 10 days. As we begin to gather again we want to center the act of playing and performing together as what brings us together as a community!
What is included in the cost?
Baseline price is USD $375 per participant which includes the following:
- Artistic direction led by Shoji Kameda
- 10 hours of workshops
- Public Performance opportunity with kaDON community
- 2 group dinners
- kaDON t-shirt
What pieces will I perform?
We will perform a variety of pieces from the kaDON repertoire. There will be a wide range of difficulty levels so that everyone will have something to perform and something to challenge them!
How will I learn the pieces?
We will learn the pieces beforehand through the kaDON courses. We will also host a series of kaDON LIVE events to help participants prepare for the weekend and have videos and other materials to help each participant prepare!
What if I have a piece to perform?
We are definitely open to the idea! If it makes sense with our program and we can make it possible to teach participants beforehand we might be able to incorporate it and perform your piece at the festival. Reach out to us at [email protected] if you have a piece.
What can I expect during the workshops?
The workshops will use elements from some of the pieces we will perform and will focus on timing and learning how to play as an ensemble. In addition these workshops will help us perform the pieces better at the end of the weekend.
How do I indicate my preference for pieces to perform?
You’ll be assigned pieces to learn based on your stated taiko comfort level. We will work with each participant to find a good mix of pieces for them.
When is it?
Officially Begins: Friday, May 19th at 8am
Officially Ends: Sunday, May 21st in the afternoon (details to follow)
Any more details on lodging & food?
Lodging is not included. However there are many possibilities for lodging in Fort Wayne. The closest hotel to our workshop location is the Holiday Inn Purdue in Fort Wayne. Breakfasts and lunches will be on your own and we will cater dinner on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Sunday dinner will not be provided as most participants will be traveling after the performance on Sunday.
Will kaDON bring merchandise for me to purchase?
We will be taking pre-orders that can be picked up at the retreat. Shipping charges are waived for all pre-orders, it is a great opportunity to coordinate purchases for other members of your ensemble who do not plan to attend the retreat . We’ll send a note to registrants when the pre-order window opens. You can browse the kaDON store (www.kadon.com/store) or request items from Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten’s entire catalog by emailing [email protected].
