Gen XXI
William Li
Bio
Fremont, CA Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major and Music Minor William first saw Bakuhatsu his freshman year and thought they were so cool! William grew up in the classical world, so Bakuhatsu had such a novel sound that never left his heart after their performance was over. For the 5 minutes of free time he has a week, he plays meme songs on the piano -- if he doesn't have access to a piano, William plays meme songs on his melodica. |
David Gee
Bio
Santa Clarita, CA Math and Science Composition Major Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan is a community, inspiring others to have as much fun in their day to day lives as their performances. At the very least, drums go boom boom. Hobbies include volleyball, reading, chess, keyboards, trumpet, martial arts, and of course anime! |
Tommy Hoang
BIO
Sacramento, CA Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major Tommy joined Bakuhatsu because he loves drumming and wants to connect with people that share the same passion! Joining Bakuhatsu was also a way for him to make friends and create memories outside of classes. In Tommy's free time, he loves cooking, listening to music, and staying active. Aside from drumming, staying active for Tommy includes working out, bouldering, hiking, and any other activity with friends! He also loves eating, and one of his favorite spots to eat in Davis is Good Friends Hawaiian Poke! Fun fact: Tommy also likes to sharpen knives with a whetstone. |
Isabelle Woodruff-Madeira
Bio
Piedmont, CA Undeclared Isabelle joined Bakuhatsu because she was looking for a fun club where she could play music and meet new people. Isabelle had seen taiko before, but never played herself and she found it really fun and empowering. In her free time, she likes to play guitar and watch TV. Her favorite shows are Avatar: The Last Airbender and Community. Isabelle likes being outdoors and warm weather, and she doesn't like spicy food. |
Vesper Marchant
bio
Cerritos, CA Design Major Vesper was lucky enough to have a taiko group at her high school and was a member of it for three years. After losing quite a bit of taiko time to the pandemic, Vesper missed having an environment where she could make lots of noise. Bakuhatsu was a perfect opportunity for her, and one open practice was all it took to remind her of how much she loved playing music with other people. Besides taiko, Vesper also enjoys doodling, collecting stuffed animals, cry-laughing, eating ice cream, and flooding all of her friends' DMs with pictures of hamsters. |
Lauren Connelly
Bio
Livingston, NJ Landscape Architecture Major and Japanese Minor Lauren joined Bakuhatsu mostly because the people in the club looked very fun and she loved their vibe. Everyone looked like they love playing taiko and are extremely passionate about it. Lauren also joined because of her Japanese ancestry and being able to connect with her culture. In Lauren's free time, she likes to crochet, garden and roller skate. She loves egg salad sandwiches and chickens (alive!), and she dislikes bologna and when people don't take off their shoes when they come into a house. |
Fiona Okida
Bio
Manhattan Beach, CA Computer Engineering Major Fiona is absolutely thrilled to be in Bakuhastu Taiko Dan! She is also a part of 301 Productions and Rocky Horror Club. Fiona prides herself on knowing the entire DreamWorks movie Megamind and for having a decent sleep schedule. She joined Bakuhastu to get in touch with her Japanese heritage and because it is the perfect outlet for her insane amount of energy. Fiona truly looks up to everyone in the group and is so grateful to be working alongside them. |
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Gen XX
Madeline Do
BIO
Elk Grove, CA Environmental Science and Management & Japanese Double Major Madi was searching for performance-based musical ensembles at Davis, and Bakuhatsu was the one that immediately grabbed their attention. Despite never seeing Bakuhatsu perform live, through videos and Zoom calls, Madi was attracted to the energy that the members brought to the stage and while teaching others, and decided to audition. It made her want to replicate that energy, as well as foster a sense of community. They enjoy reading, spending time with friends, and good food. Fun fact: two concussions and still standing. |
Maya Datwyler
BIO
Los Angeles, CA History Major and Japanese Minor Maya knew UC Davis had a taiko group and always wanted to be a part of one. Maya decided to join Bakuhatsu because their overall energy looked really exciting and fun. Taiko always had a place in Maya's life since they grew up watching it, and Maya wanted to get in on the action! In their free time, Maya watches anime, reads, goes hiking, hangs out with friends, spends an inordinate amount of time on TikTok, and listens to music! Maya absolutely loves dogs (especially their dog), the ocean, and good food. Their favorite treat is mochi and favorite food is udon! Along with taiko, Maya also plays piano and the ukelele and considers music one of their main focuses in life with school. |
Sarah Miller
BIO
Indianapolis, IN Musicology PhD Candidate Sarah joined Bakuhatsu, because this ensemble is the most supportive and uplifting she has ever encountered. Also, she loves the combination of percussion, vocalization, and movement in taiko. In Sarah's free time, she likes to play video games and snuggle with her pup and kitty. ❤️ |
Gen XIX
Ashley Shen
Bio
Daly City, CA Microbiology Major The first time Ashley witnessed Bakuhatsu perform was at the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival 2018. She decided to tryout because the members looked like they were having so much fun performing. You can hear them from a mile away, and when they start performing everyone stops what they are doing and watches. Ashley also thought it was so cool how taiko is both an art and a form of exercise. She wants stronger arm muscles :) In her spare time, you’ll find Ashley reading, making ceramics in the Craft Center, binge watching The Office and Seinfeld, yelping places to eat, and getting distracted by dogs on the street. |
Katie Chun
Bio
San Jose, CA Microbiology Major The first time she witnessed Bakuhatsu was at Welcome Week! Katie loved the synergy that the team had, and how powerful the performance felt with the whole team playing the same part at the same time. She also loved how much fun the performers were having and how this perpetuated onto the audience, making the performance engaging. When Katie has free time she takes strolls while listening to music at an unhealthily loud volume, watch shows, especially My Hero Academia and Grey's Anatomy, hanging out with her homies and going on boba runs! |
Suzuka Kawaguchi
Bio
Menlo Park, CA Biological Sciences Major Suzuka first saw Bakuhatsu perform at the resource fair at the beginning of this year. She really enjoyed watching bakuhatsu moving around and recruiting people at the resource fair. She was also impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of the group during the open practices. Lastly, in order of preference, in Suzuka’s free time she sleeps, eats, does backbends with a clarinet, watch anime, listen to music, and waste time thinking about why she’s wasting time. |
Vincent F Gemora
bio
Chula Vista, CA Pharmaceutical Chemistry Major Vincent first saw bakuhatsu perform at welcome week at UC Davis. He really liked the energy that the group exerts. It’s fun, exciting, and overall a great time. In his free time you’ll find Vincent painting, drawing, playing games, learning new things, playing his Ukulele, and watching shows online. |
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Gen XVIII
Victoria Nishikawa
BIO
Davis, CA Psychology and Human Development Major Victoria joined Bakuhatsu because she grew up watching her cousins play taiko in college. Victoria knew then she wanted to too! During her free time, she likes to read, watch anime and go on hikes. :) |
Michael Cotter
BIO
Anaheim, CA Cinema and Digital Media Major Michael first saw Bakuhatsu at the involvement fair performance. Michael has been interested in taiko ever since he was a kid. As a child, he would go to festivals hosted by his Buddhist church and the OCBC Taiko team would perform. However, he never joined because he thought that he was not good enough. He decided to join Bakuhatsu when he got to college because he saw a Bakuhatsu performance during the first open practice and loved the energy and atmosphere that they had. This along with his ever long love for taiko encouraged him to audition. During his free time, he likes to spend a lot of time watching movies, making movies, playing games, playing music and drinking hot tea. Fun Fact: Michael has tea flowing through his veins. |
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Gen XI
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Gregory Wada
bio
Logan, UT Anthropology, Archaeology emphasis PhD Candidate Gregory was an undergraduate at UC Davis, where he first started playing taiko with Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan. Now, as a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology, he still loves playing taiko. Gregory tries to help younger members on their taiko journey and share taiko and the Asian American experience with the broader community. He founded the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival with his friend KB, an annual celebration of cultural diversity that brings in taiko groups and other artists from across Northern California. In his studies, Gregory is currently researching the evolution of the human microbiome through the archaeological record. |
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PAST & CURRENT MEMBERS
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Gen I
Jay Yamanaga John Shinozaki Stacey Clark Gen II - V Aiko Eguchi Aiko Enoki Gary Wong Gina Gonella Helen Cunningham Howard Calkin Jenna Avila Jennifer Ung Jill Kitaura Kevin Nii Kortney Rubottom Libby Landin Mari Nagaoka Mike Nguyen Mike Yost Tomo Mori Gen VI Amy Ng Dolly Luong Jeff Shu Jeff Suzuki Tami Kitaura |
Gen VII
Hannah Yung Jackson Anderson Jaime Hirakawa Jamie Nakatani Kristi Matsumoto Marcus Marujo Masakazu Nagatome Ryoto Nagaoka Gen VIII Catherine Kuo Christine Vo Dragily Ryucer Eddy Shen Lester Lusher Lillie Ko Melanie Ono Weei Lo Yun Zheng Gen IX Makiko Baba Vincent Trunh |
Gen X
Alyssa de los Reyes Katherine Fukui Kristine Lee Michelle Kaufman Natsumi Koizumi Roger Pender Samantha Shapiro Sho Yoshida Tang Yen Thomas Sanders Gen XI Alexander In Alice Tsang Casey O'Connell Christina Chang Gregory Wada Henry Knight Stephanie Wong Taiyo Onoda Gen XII Alicia Brown Amanda Zucker Eric Amemiya Holly Higa Jenny Matsushita Kelsey Kawaguchi Lisa Wolbert Vincent Lee |
Gen XIII
Eugene Arai Jamie Chang Julius Pasion Junette Ginger Morgan Imel Naoki Kanagawa Taylor McDougall Yvonne Fu Gen XIV August Henry Walker Brittney Key Daniel Kim Gloria Kum Issa Takada Rahi Suryawanshi Reina Ota Robyn Saiki Gen XV Aiko Furuya Allyson Beem Braden Wong Calvin Lee Curtis KFan Emily Ma Shai Nielson Willa Yue Yumiko Yoshida |
Gen XVI
Blythe Nishi Cayce Badiola Christian Richmond Daniel Lavados Hiroya Mizobe Jonathan Gong Michaela Tan Michelle Boutell Quynhmi Nguyen Taylor Gentry Thao Le Hoang Tomoki Masukawa Yuki Igarashi Gen XVII
Allison Huang Allison Suba Amanda Inouye Emily Quan Makela Norwood R'iana Tucker Wilbert De Leon Yajing Li Gen XVIII Candace Nguyen Kristen Tang Lisa Shigenaga Maxine Uy Michael Cotter Sarina Noma Victoria Nishikawa |
Gen XIX
Ashley Shen Daniel Dana Katie Chun Maki Mizutani Sophia Loo Suzuka Kawaguchi Vincent F Gemora Gen XX
Laney Vance Madeline Do Maya Datwyler Nathan Tabaranza Sarah Miller Gen XXI
William Li Isabelle Woodruff-Madeira Fiona Okida Lauren Connelly Vesper Marchant David Gee Tommy Hoang |
