Odaiko Sonora is Tucson's taiko, or Japanese ensemble drumming group. Serving southern AZ since May 2002, Odaiko Sonora is dedicated to increasing familiarity with and understanding of taiko in our community. We do this for over 30,000 people each year through classes and master workshops, performances, school residencies, teambuilding workshops and by producing concerts by internationally acclaimed taiko artists.

SOUND, MIND, BODY & SPIRIT are the principles behind our teaching and playing. Our students and members strive to honor the traditions of taiko as they have come to us through our teachers, to honor our audiences through the artistic quality of our presentations.

View a complete history of Odaiko Sonora Gigs, an archive of past entries on our News/Performances web page, and the News Room, with links to videos, articles, and past e-newsletters.

Odaiko Sonora consists of:

The organization has one fulltime staff person and many volunteers, including a Board of Directors, administrative, artistic and teaching staff, costume designers/fabricators, drum builders, gig coordinators, merchandise handlers, numerous organizers and cooks and equipment haulers, and, of course, the students and players. Student dues go towards studio expenses, maintaining the equipment, and some travel and hospitality costs for performances and master classes.

Rome Hamner

I fell in love with taiko in October 2000. My first sensei was Stan Morgan of MoGan Daiko. I’m grateful to him for being the first person to put bachi in my hands. I’ve since had the honor of training with Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Esther Vandecar, PJ Hirabayashi, Kenny Endo, Eichi Saito, Yoko Fujimoto and Chieko Kojima of KODO's Hanayui Ensemble. Before taiko, my percussion experience consisted of playing in handbell choirs. Many of the skills transfer (ensemble percussion is, after all, ensemble percussion) but many of them don't (a drum, after all, is not a handbell.) There is no feeling like playing taiko and I’m humbled and grateful to be able to practice, perform and teach this art form. I'm a board member for the Japan-American Society of Tucson, and mother to three cats. (Ed. note: Rome was selected as one of Tucson's 2007 Top 40 Under 40).

Karen Falkenstrom

I started studying taiko with Stan Morgan in 2001. When he fell ill, Rome and I founded Odaiko Sonora so we could keep playing and so Tucson would have a taiko group. Since then, I've studied mainly with Tiffany Tamaribuchi (Sacramento Taiko Dan), San Jose Taiko and Shidara. Before taiko, I was an arts administrator and poet, have a BS in architecture from UVA and an MFA in creative writing from U of A. I directed the Tucson Poetry Festival, worked at the UA Poetry Center, co-founded Kore Press and InConcert! Tucson. As our group's lead drum builder, I thank Stan Morgan, Tony Trapasso, Mark Miyoshi and June Schumann for sharing their knowledge of building these fine instruments. (Ed. note: Karen was recipient of a 2008 YWCA Woman on the Move award and the 2009 Pan Asian Community Alliance Woman of the Year. In spring 2009, she received the prestigious Arizona Arts Award.)

Nicole Levesque

I graduated in the spring of 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance Education from the University of Georgia and hit the ground running on a road I was sure would lead to a lifetime of modern dance performance. In the fall of 2005, Rome and Karen gave me my first taste of taiko within a dance/taiko collaboration piece with OTO Dance. Since then, I have switched focus and am vigorously pursuing taiko as my new performance path. I have been fortunate enough to study under Tiffany Tamaribuchi and attend workshops lead by San Jose Taiko and Chabo-san of Shidara.