Roy Hirabayashi
Roy is a champion for social justice, multicultural arts, and cultural preservation. He is a leader in the arts community known for starting organizations, fiscal management, fund-raising, and empowering the next generation of leaders.
In addition, he is a nationally recognized folk and traditional artist, composer, producer, and collaborator in international projects. Roy is a National Endowment for the Arts, National Heritage Fellow and an American Leadership Forum John W. Gardner Leadership awardee.
Roy is most well known for co-founding San Jose Taiko, the preeminent taiko performing arts company based in San Jose, California, in 1973. He was active with San Jose Taiko as a leader, performer, workshop instructor, and composer until 2011. His signature instruments are taiko and shinobue (Japanese horizontal bamboo flute).
Taiko
Affiliations
Taiko Community Alliance Advisory Council
North American Taiko Conference, Exec Committee Chair, Advisory Council, speaker, session curator, workshop leader, panelist - from 1995
Affiliations - past
Kodo Arts Sphere America (KASA) founding member & Board of Directors
Artist Milestones
1973
Co-founded San Jose Taiko, San Jose, California
1975
Began learning the shinobue (Japanese flute)
1982
KODO residency, Sado Island, Japan
1987
Studied and toured with Ondekoza, Nagasaki, Japan
1993
Performed at Carnegie Hall, New York City with San Jose Taiko, Ondekoza
1998
“Big Bands Behind Barbed Wire: Jazz & Justice” collaboration with Jon Jang, Mark Izu, Anthony Brown, Frances Wong, Qi-Chao Liu & others
2003
San Jose Taiko 30th Anniversary with SF Taiko Dojo & Kinnara Taiko, performer, featured composer
2013
Valley of the Heart, by Luis Valdez, music and soundscape composer
Compositions
Free Spirit, 1983
Weaving Drums, 1986
Hachijo/Noto, co-written with PJ Hirabayashi, 1987
Miyoshi no Ki, co-written with PJ Hirabayashi, 1987
Bamboo Drums, co-written with PJ Hirabayashi, 1990
Reflections, 1991
Insight Through Sound, co-written with San Jose Taiko, 1991
Celebration, co-written with PJ Hirabayashi, 1992
NanaShi, 1992
Spirit of Adventure, 1993
Stompin, 1996
Kin Moku, co-written with Karen Morita, 1997
PJ's Song, jazz instrumental ballad piece for the Michael Sasaki Band, 1999
SJT encore arrangement, 2000, 2001
“Roycore”, 2005
Commissions & Scores
“Moving in Time”, Portland Taiko, 2004
Japanese American Museum San Jose 30th Anniversary video, music soundtrack, 2017
Recordings With
San Jose Taiko
Bamboo Brew Productions, 1978
15th Anniversary Concert, October 1988, Sokai Audio
Insight Through Sound, March 1991, Sokai Audio
Kodama, Echoes of the Soul, September 1993
Moichi-Do, One More Time, January 1996, SJT/Sokai Audio
“Rhythm Journey”, April 2005
Celebrating 3 Decades” DVD, April 2007
“35th Anniversary” DVD, September 2009
Notable Performances
With San Jose Taiko
George Coates Performance Works
American Conservatory Theatre
Asian American Jazz Orchestra
Kodo
Abhinaya Dance Company
Media, Publications
Highlights
NEA audio podcast, August 25, 2011
Discover Nikkei article by Sojin Kim, September 2011
Nichi Bei Times, “A Tribute to Pioneers of Taiko Movement in US” article by Jessica Savage, September 26, 2011
Content magazine, Silicon Valley’s Innovative and Creative Culture, “Profiles”, issue 8.4, Nov/Dec 2016
Smithsonian FolkLife Festival, On the Move, 2017
Remembering E.O. 9066: San Jose Taiko on Musical and Historical Resonances February 22, 2017, Sojin Kim
The Evolution of Collegiate Taiko, by Craig Ishii, Yo!, March 19, 2022
Awards
1991
Isadora Duncan Izzies Award, Sound/Score/Music/Text, Bay Area Dance
2011
National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in Folk and Traditional Arts
2014
Silicon Valley Creates Legacy Laureate
2017
Smithsonian FolkLife Festival, On The Move
Apprentice Program Master Artist, Alliance of California Traditional Arts (ACTA)
2023
Recipient of the 2023 Spring Conferment of Japanese Decoration within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco from the Government of Japan
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays for Roy’s contributions to the promotion of Japanese culture through his activities with San Jose Taiko
Arts & Asian Activism
roy“Understanding heritage and culture, understanding community and family, those are all the values that are really important to me.”
Affiliations
SVCreates. Board member, Diversity Council co-chair
Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute (MALI), co-founder/advisor
Nikkei Community Internship (NCI), San Jose Japantown advisor
School of Arts & Culture, Mexican Heritage Plaza board member
Calif. Lawyers for the Arts/Arts Arbitration & Mediation Services mediator
Affiliations - past
School of Arts & Culture, Mexican Heritage Plaza board president, Dec 2018 – Dec 2020
1stACT Silicon Valley founding member, 2004-2013
Artsopolis, Board of Governors, 2004 - 2010
First Voice (multicultural arts coalition, San Jose), board member, 2004 - 2008
Western Arts Alliance (WAA) Board of Directors, 1998 - 2001
Asian Americans for Community Involvement, Santa Clara County, 1973 - 1975
Japanese American Citizens League, San Jose Chapter
Asians for Community Action, San Jose, 1971 - 1974
East Bay Japanese for Action (EBJA), Berkeley, 1970 - 1973
Grand Review
Panels Served
National Endowment for the Arts
California Arts Council
Silicon Valley Creates
San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs
Awards
2023 California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships (IAF), Central California, Legacy Fellow Grant recipient
2021 San Jose Cornerstone Creative Impact Award for MALI, City of San Jose Arts
2018 Sangam Arts & Mosaic Silicon Valley Impact Award
Japanese American Citizens League 2014 The Japanese American of the Biennium Award
San Jose Japanese American Citizens League Community Recognition award, 2011
Yu-Ai Kai Akira Kamiya Award, November 2009
San Jose Japanese American Citizens League Community Recognition Award, Oct 2007
Community Activists Award, Silicon Valley Asian Pacific American Democratic Club, 2005
Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) Arts Community Star Award, 2003
Project Cornerstone Award for Positive Cultural Identity. 2003
Yu-Ai Kai Cultural Award, 1997
Community Leadership
“I try to lead by example. I’ve always tried—within an office or within a performance ensemble—to see how I could bring everyone to an equal level of playing and working together. So that if anyone had to step out, someone would easily be able to step in.”
Affiliations
American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley (ALFSV), Senior Fellow, 2006 - present
Japantown Community Congress of San Jose, board member, former President
Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI) Senior Fellow
California Japanese American Community Leadership Council board
Leadership &
Consulting
Coach, 2019 What’s Next, TSNE Mission Works
San Jose City COVID-19 Recovery Task Force
Makoto Taiko organizational management and strategic planning, 2020
San Jose Multicultural Artists Guild (SJMAG) executive transition consultant, Oct 2020
Japantown/Corporation Yard Task Force, City of San Jose, 1999
City of San Jose, Mayors Task force on Multicultural Arts Development, “Vision 2000”, September 1991
Awards
Japanese American Leadership Delegation, US-Japan Council
2016 Bunka Hall of Fame, Hokka Nichi Bei Kai, Japanese American Association of Northern California
2016 Cornerstone of the Arts, San Jose Arts Commission and Office of Cultural Affairs
Asian Americans for Community Involvement Community Trailblazer award, September 2016
American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley, John W. Gardner Leadership Award, April 2015
Consul General of Japan Hiroshi Inomata, Certificate of Commendation for Community Service, 2012
San Jose Nihonmachi Outreach Committee Appreciation Award, 2012
Japan Consulate General Foreign Minister’s Commendation to San Jose Taiko, 2010
Nikkei Matsuri Community Recognition Award, San Jose, 2007
Preservation Action Council of San Jose, for the work in Japantown, 2004
Arts Council of Santa Clara County award for community leadership for efforts to foster cultural and ethnic diversity in the arts, 1994
"15th Anniversary Celebration - Spirit of the drum” by Roy Hirabayashi
Roy Hirabayashi ALF John W Gardner Award Recipient 2015
roy“Taiko brings people together. To be a part of this unity is pretty incredible.”