Experience the art of Japanese Taiko drums for free at Coronado Theatre in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A musical group that brings the ancient art of Japanese Taiko drums around the world is coming to the Coronado Theatre, and you can see their performance for free.

Yamato – Drummers of Japan will take the stage at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Coronado, 314 N. Main St. The doors open at 5:30 p.m., and no reservations are necessary. Just show up and pick your seat.

The performance is made free to the public through sponsorships and donations to Friends of the Coronado, a nonprofit that works to preserve the historic theater for all to share.

“It’s really part of the mission to make sure the theater is accessible,” said Beth Howard, executive director of the Friends of the Coronado. “We’re really are trying to make it so the community can just come to something. The doors are open to them and they will have an experience that maybe they wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Fees are also reduced at the main parking deck across the street from the Coronado for the performance. You can park for $5 rather than the typical $15. There is also limited street parking for free in downtown.

Yamato travels across the world for its performances, which features 40 different drums including a half-ton Wadaiko drum made from a single piece of wood from a 400-year-old tree.

“Yamato believes that the drumbeat, like the heartbeat, is the very pulse of life and the epitome of the Japanese spirit,”  Masa Ogawa, the group’s founder and artistic director, said in promotional materials. “We open the eyes of the heart to find a sort of synchronicity with the other drummers.”

The group has performed in more than 4,500 shows across 55 countries since its formation in 1993.

“It’s to share the joy around the world, and that’s what they do,” Howard said. “It lifts their nation in times of sorrow and celebration. It is a treasure of their country.”

The Friends of the Coronado has been hosting its Reach for the Stars free school field trip performances since 2000. After the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, it added the free public performance each year.

“It is a major project for the friends of the Coronado to make it a gift to the community,” Howard said. “And it is the desire of our donors, our sponsors and our underwriters to make it free of charge.”

If you go | Yamato – Drummers of Japan

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)

Where: Coronado Theatre, 314 N. Main St., Rockford

Cost: Free, no reservation required

Info: Go HERE

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas