Who are we?

The dynamic Wai Taiko drumming performances that thrill audiences at events around the upper North Island are the fruition of the vision and drive of Lianne Stephenson and Michelle Miles. Both first encountered taiko during high-school exchanges in Japan in the 1990s, and they formed Wai Taiko Drummers in 2000. Since then the group has performed at hundreds of events, from New Plymouth to Gisborne and Hastings to Whangarei.

In the seven decades following the appearance of taiko as a performance art there has developed a large performance repertoire consisting of arrangements of traditional rhythms, new compositions using traditional rhythms, and compositions pushing beyond these. Wai Taiko’s performances include pieces from all of these categories.