The UGA Performing Arts Center will present Kodo March 29 at 7 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The internationally acclaimed Japanese taiko drummers will make their Athens debut in a new show titled “One Earth Tour: Mystery.”
Tickets for Kodo are $35-$45 and are discounted for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400.
Based on Sado Island in Niigata, Japan, Kodo made its debut at the Berlin Festival in 1981. Since that time, the ensemble has given more than 5,500 performances in 46 countries under the theme “One Earth.” The group spends one-third of the year touring the world, one-third touring Japan and one-third on Sado Island.
Kodo gives high-energy performances that transcend borders and genres. The ensemble evokes the age-old celebrations of the agricultural cycle, yet pairs ancient pieces with new compositions by respected Japanese composers—from jazz pianists to kabuki masters—and by Kodo members.
Kodo’s vision has inspired performing arts ensembles worldwide, including the Blue Man Group, with whom Kodo recently collaborated on a piece that garnered an international Emmy nomination.
Founders of Cirque du Soliel traveled to Sado to learn from Kodo, incorporating elements into their classic piece, “Mystère.”
“One Earth Tour: Mystery” was created by Tamasaburo Bando, Kodo’s artistic director. The show premiered in Japan in 2013, and the 2015 North American tour marks the production’s international debut.
