Maryll Icho Daiko Artistic Director Maryll Phillips began performing musical theater, dance, and music at a very young age. She joined Icho Daiko in 2004 and quickly became involved in the activities of the group, including teaching workshops and building drums. Maryll was one of two recipients of the Taiko Center of the Pacific Fellowship award for the year 2007-2008. During that year she received the prestigious honor of studying taiko under the direction of world renowned taiko artist Kenny Endo. Upon completion of the fellowship, Maryll returned to Cleveland to serve as Artistic Director for Icho Daiko. Outside of taiko Maryll enjoys playing video games and watching movies.  Arya Arya was introduced to Taiko in 2006 through his work in film scoring and using Japanese instrumentation. After completing the beginner and intermediate classes, he was thrilled to be invited as a performing member for Icho Daiko. One of the main things he enjoys about Taiko is how the artform combines elements of both music and stamina - challenging him to maintain rhythm and form. The awesome power of Taiko is probably best felt during performances when the entire ensemble is able to channel our collective energy together.
In addition to being a playing member, Arya is also Vice President of the Board of Icho Daiko, Inc. Outside of taiko, to engage his scientific half, Arya is a full-time medical resident studying oncology and to fulfill his artistic half, Arya writes music for films, TV, and computer games (www.aryavartakumar.com).  Dan Dan started playing taiko in February of 2008 when it was offered as an Experimental College Course at Oberlin College. After finishing the introductory class on taiko Dan helped co-found the Oberlin College Taiko group. After moving out of Oberlin Dan joined Icho Daiko and was voted in as Administrative Director. Having studied music and martial arts since grade school taiko seemed like the perfect combination of Dan's interests and quickly became a driving passion in his life. Dan enjoys sharing his passion of taiko with those around him including his fellow group members and excited audience members. Outside of taiko Dan works at MRI Software as a Japanese-English Software Support Analyst. He also enjoys spending time outdoors in the Metro Parks and relaxing at home.  Brandon In 2009 Brandon saw Icho Daiko perform at an Asian cultural awareness event. Interested, he looked them up and found that there were beginner classes offered. Brandon soon enrolled in the beginner and intermediate classes, found taiko to be very exciting, and joined as a member in the Winter of 2009. He has been practicing and performing with the group ever since. Outside of taiko, Brandon works as a software engineer for Lexmark. He also enjoys playing board games, rock climbing, and watching Japanese and Korean dramas.  |