Drifter develops concerts with composer and music director Taro Ishida, bringing Japanese traditional instruments into new encounters with audiences, places and other musicians. We welcome conversations with festivals, concert halls, museums and cultural institutions about performances and artistic collaborations.
The programme may centre on Ishida’s TOKOYO, combine music with a spoken introduction, or develop around a particular setting. Repertoire, ensemble and presentation are considered together, so that the event has a clear musical purpose.
Watch the concert excerpt on YouTube. This is an example of a past ensemble and programme; the format for a new invitation is discussed with the presenter.
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In TOKOYO, gagaku instruments meet strings, piano and electronic sound. Ishida listens to how each instrument carries time: a breath held and released, a string sounding after it has been struck, or a harmony that changes as the players move within it. These relationships shape both the music and its performance.
The project includes new compositions and arrangements alongside inherited repertoire. Programme notes distinguish those roles, allowing audiences to encounter the tradition and Ishida’s work within it. It is a concert experience for listeners who already know the instruments and for those hearing them for the first time.
The eight-performer programme presented in Paris in 2026 brought together hichiriki, shō, ryūteki and gakubiwa with violin, viola, cello and Ishida on keyboard, with some musicians also playing other instruments. This gives an example of the scale of the project. Other formats depend on the repertoire and the musicians involved.
Explore TOKOYO and its musicians · Listen to the album
At the Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris, TOKOYO was presented on 27 March 2026. A lecture with live gagaku demonstrations the day before offered an introduction to the instruments. The two events gave listeners different ways into the music.
In Cologne, Ishida’s spoken introduction accompanied the Cologne Gagaku Ensemble at the Japan Foundation’s cultural institute on 18 March 2026. He also joined the ensemble at Manga-Comic-Con, part of the Leipzig Book Fair. Collaboration with an established local ensemble made for a different kind of programme from a visiting TOKOYO performance.
Read the international tour account · Paris host’s programme (French) · Cologne host’s programme (German)
For a festival or concert series, the programme can focus on a body of work such as TOKOYO. We discuss its relationship to your artistic programme, the audience and the venue, then develop an appropriate repertoire and production plan.
Performance can alternate with short explanations of the instruments, the music or the creative process. This format gives listeners time to hear a sound, learn something about it and listen again. The balance of speaking and playing, and any interpretation, are planned for the audience.
An invitation may begin with a space, an exhibition or a wish to work with local musicians. Ishida can discuss composition, arrangement or music direction as part of that project. A collaboration with local performers depends on the proposed repertoire, preparation time and the experience of the players.
Start with the date or period, location, venue and the kind of audience you hope to reach. A complete technical specification is not needed for a first conversation. An indicative budget helps us consider the scale of the ensemble and the possible formats.
Once there is a musical direction, we discuss the performers, duration, rehearsal time, instrument requirements, sound and stage arrangements. Travel, accommodation, local production, interpretation and any recording or streaming of the event also need to be included in the plan. These conditions vary with the programme and location.
If the aim includes education or audience development, a lecture or demonstration can accompany the concert. The Paris programme offers one example of how a preparatory event and a full performance can work together.
Send us the details you already have. An outline is enough to start a conversation; you do not need to have every part of the project settled.
Discuss a concert or festival programme or email mail@drftr.co.jp.
If you would like to attend a performance, visit the concert and talk calendar for dates and audience information.
Related: Working with Drifter · Recording & composition · Lectures & demonstrations
