TAIKO RECORDING ARTIST & PERFORMER

Berklee College of Music Graduate

Performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center

Touring Member of Amanojaku 2006-2011

Two-Time National Odaiko Champion

Isaku Kageyama is a taiko artist, well versed both in live performance and in the studio.

Isaku Kageyama is a taiko artist, well versed in both live performance and in the recording studio. His resume includes performances at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, recordings for video games such as Ghost of Tsushima, appearances on networks such as NBC, VH1 and BET, tours with the Japan Foundation, and residencies with The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.

A versatile collaborator, Isaku serves as performer, composer, arranger, and recording/mix engineer for Drumspeak, the World Percussion Ensemble of Los Angeles, and the Obon Classics Project. His broad skillset and understanding of a wide range of mediums has made Isaku a first-call taiko artist.

Formerly a principal drummer of Amanojaku, he holds a Bachelor of Music from the Berklee College of Music and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Longy School of Music of Bard College.

He is also a two-time National Odaiko Champion, becoming the youngest person to win highest honors at the Mt. Fuji Odaiko Contest in 2000, and Hokkaido in 2003.

From 2011-2014, Isaku was the resident instructor at Wellesley University and the University of Connecticut, and has held clinics at Berklee College of Music, Brown University, Rochester Institute of Technology, North American Taiko Conference, East Coast Taiko Conference, and Intercollegiate Taiko Invitationals.