Kris Bergstrom
Encyclopedia
Kristofer Bergstrom is a leading North American
taiko
player. He is a member of Los Angeles
-based taiko quartet On Ensemble and of North American taiko group TAIKOPROJECT. In addition to taiko, Bergstrom plays the shamisen
, koto
, and turntable
as a member of On Ensemble.
to Jon and Diane Bergstrom. When he was growing up, his family moved around, and Kris lived in Texas
and Louisiana
before moving to California
in 1985. Kris is a vegan and an avid skateboarder.
. At New Student Orientation, he attended a performance by the collegiate group Stanford Taiko, which prompted him to audition for the group. He intended to study Physics
and English
while at Stanford. His years as a member of Stanford Taiko encouraged him to consider a career as a professional taiko player. Through Stanford Taiko, he met fellow On Ensemble member, Shoji Kameda
.
During the summer of 1998, Bergstrom interned for San Jose Taiko with Kameda as one of San Jose Taiko's first summer interns. Over this internship period, a discussion between Bergstrom and Kameda entertained the idea of creating a taiko group, which are the roots for On Ensemble. In order to pursue professional taiko, he dropped Physics from his course of study and began concentrating more on music. He continued to major in English as it seemed relevant to musical composition. He graduated Stanford with a degree in English in 1999.
to study Japanese
in order to learn more Japanese arts. His intention was to learn music more traditional than kumidaiko. When he first arrived in Japan, he visited Sado Island to see the taiko group Kodo
for their earth day celebration. He then went to Hakodate, Hokkaido
, where he would live for the next two years before moving to Tokyo
for a year.
Bergstrom took up the traditional Japanese Dance, Nihon Buyou
, for two years in the Wakayagi school.. g/ He also practiced his taiko skills by renting a space from the Hakodate-based taiko group Hinokiya. This interaction resulted in a strong relationship forming between Kris Bergstrom and Hinokiya. Bergstrom performed with and composed for Hinokiya at times during his stay in Hakodate. This relationship also initiated contact between Stanford Taiko and Hinokiya. In addition, Bergstorm seriously studied the shamisen at this time.
In August 2001, Kris Bergstrom, Shoji Kameda, and Masato Baba performed in Japan, bringing together three-fourths of On Ensemble before the inclusion of Kelvin Underwood
.
, gagaku
, and noh
as a kid, Bergstrom looked to study shamisen as something more traditionally Japanese than taiko. In order to learn the shamisen, Bergstrom searched for a teacher in the Hakodate phonebook in spring of 2000. He found Kineya Katsuyukie-sensei from the Kineya school of nagauta shamisen. In the first meeting between Katsuyukie-sensei, Bergstrom said he wanted to better understand the concept of "ma" in Japanese music.
While studying Bergstrom developed a close relationship with Katsuyukie-sensei similar to that of the traditional uchi-deshi
apprenticeship system for Japanese arts. While he did not live with her, he performed chores and took lessons in the early morning before and after work.
Bergstrom received his natori for shamisen on November 8, 2008.
He was one of musicians in the United States honored with a natori. His natori is Kineya Katsukoujyu. Bergstrom continues to study with Katsuyukie-sensei as a natori does not signify an end to studying under a teacher.
, where creators encourage sharing and collaboration. He was attracted to the idea after learning of the free software community
. Bergstrom uses free software for his administrative and creative work for On Ensemble. Under similar principle, his taiko teaching aids and all of his compositions are available free under the Free Art License
, specifically the Free Art License 1.3.
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
player. He is a member of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based taiko quartet On Ensemble and of North American taiko group TAIKOPROJECT. In addition to taiko, Bergstrom plays the shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
, koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
, and turntable
Turntable
A turntable is generally a rotating platform, and may refer to:-Music:* Turntable, a motor-driven platform that normally rotates a gramophone record at a constant rotational velocity as part of a phonograph....
as a member of On Ensemble.
Personal life
Kristofer Bergstrom was born July 12, 1976 in Littleton, ColoradoLittleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
to Jon and Diane Bergstrom. When he was growing up, his family moved around, and Kris lived in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
before moving to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1985. Kris is a vegan and an avid skateboarder.
Collegiate Taiko
Bergstrom began playing taiko while attending Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. At New Student Orientation, he attended a performance by the collegiate group Stanford Taiko, which prompted him to audition for the group. He intended to study Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and English
English major
The English Major is a term in the United States and a few other countries for an undergraduate university degree focused around the consumption, analysis, and production of texts in the English language...
while at Stanford. His years as a member of Stanford Taiko encouraged him to consider a career as a professional taiko player. Through Stanford Taiko, he met fellow On Ensemble member, Shoji Kameda
Shoji Kameda
Shoji Kameda is a fourth-generation Japanese American musician and composer, and leading player of North American taiko.He is a founder and member of On Ensemble, a contemporary taiko quartet,and a member of the jazz fusion group Hiroshima.-Personal life:...
.
During the summer of 1998, Bergstrom interned for San Jose Taiko with Kameda as one of San Jose Taiko's first summer interns. Over this internship period, a discussion between Bergstrom and Kameda entertained the idea of creating a taiko group, which are the roots for On Ensemble. In order to pursue professional taiko, he dropped Physics from his course of study and began concentrating more on music. He continued to major in English as it seemed relevant to musical composition. He graduated Stanford with a degree in English in 1999.
Post-College Years in Japan
After graduating Stanford in 1999, Kris Bergstrom spent time in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to study Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
in order to learn more Japanese arts. His intention was to learn music more traditional than kumidaiko. When he first arrived in Japan, he visited Sado Island to see the taiko group Kodo
Kodo
-In Japan:* The kōdō, Japanese incense ceremony.* Kodo , a taiko drumming group based in Japan.* The Kodo Group, a yakuza criminal organization...
for their earth day celebration. He then went to Hakodate, Hokkaido
Hakodate, Hokkaido
is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854 as a result of Convention of Kanagawa, and used to be the most important port in northern Japan...
, where he would live for the next two years before moving to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
for a year.
Bergstrom took up the traditional Japanese Dance, Nihon Buyou
Japanese traditional dance
There are two types of Japanese traditional dance: Odori, which originated in the Edo period, and Mai, which originated in the western part of Japan. Odori grew out of Kabuki drama and is more oriented toward male sentiments. Mai is traditionally performed in Japanese rooms instead of on the stage...
, for two years in the Wakayagi school.. g/ He also practiced his taiko skills by renting a space from the Hakodate-based taiko group Hinokiya. This interaction resulted in a strong relationship forming between Kris Bergstrom and Hinokiya. Bergstrom performed with and composed for Hinokiya at times during his stay in Hakodate. This relationship also initiated contact between Stanford Taiko and Hinokiya. In addition, Bergstorm seriously studied the shamisen at this time.
In August 2001, Kris Bergstrom, Shoji Kameda, and Masato Baba performed in Japan, bringing together three-fourths of On Ensemble before the inclusion of Kelvin Underwood
Kelvin Underwood
Kelvin Underwood is an American musician specializing in the drum set and taiko, the art of Japanese drumming.After joining the Japanese taiko ensemble Ondekoza at age 19, he returned to the United States four years later to study at Berklee College of Music and pursue a career as a professional...
.
Shamisen Training and Natori
Recalling hearing about Japanese music styles of nagautaNagauta
, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies the kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yōkyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various kinds of drums.The shamisen, a plucked lute...
, gagaku
Gagaku
Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...
, and noh
Noh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
as a kid, Bergstrom looked to study shamisen as something more traditionally Japanese than taiko. In order to learn the shamisen, Bergstrom searched for a teacher in the Hakodate phonebook in spring of 2000. He found Kineya Katsuyukie-sensei from the Kineya school of nagauta shamisen. In the first meeting between Katsuyukie-sensei, Bergstrom said he wanted to better understand the concept of "ma" in Japanese music.
While studying Bergstrom developed a close relationship with Katsuyukie-sensei similar to that of the traditional uchi-deshi
Uchi-deshi
Uchi-deshi is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis...
apprenticeship system for Japanese arts. While he did not live with her, he performed chores and took lessons in the early morning before and after work.
Bergstrom received his natori for shamisen on November 8, 2008.
He was one of musicians in the United States honored with a natori. His natori is Kineya Katsukoujyu. Bergstrom continues to study with Katsuyukie-sensei as a natori does not signify an end to studying under a teacher.
On Ensemble and Contemporary Taiko
Bergstrom currently resides in Los Angeles, working as a member of On Ensemble. In addition to performing, he teaches workshops on taiko as part of On Ensemble.Taiko Studies
Kris Bergstrom has trained with various groups throughout his career in kumidaiko. He began his study through joining Stanford Taiko in college. While in Japan, he studied for a time under Kobayashi Tarou, a student of an original member of Oedo Sukeroku Taiko. In addition, he took lessons at the Nihon Taiko Dojo from 2001-2.Taiko Instructor
Bergstrom is well regarded as an instructor in the North American Taiko community. His work as a taiko teacher can be seen through On Ensemble's educational outreach. As a taiko instructor, he has written a study aid to taiko practice called "30 Days to Better Shime". At the 2009 Taiko Conference, he released Taiko Games 2009, a series of games he created about taiko.CopyLeft Philosophy
Bergstrom is a strong believer in the concept of copyleftCopyleft
Copyleft is a play on the word copyright to describe the practice of using copyright law to offer the right to distribute copies and modified versions of a work and requiring that the same rights be preserved in modified versions of the work...
, where creators encourage sharing and collaboration. He was attracted to the idea after learning of the free software community
Free Software Foundation
The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software...
. Bergstrom uses free software for his administrative and creative work for On Ensemble. Under similar principle, his taiko teaching aids and all of his compositions are available free under the Free Art License
Free Art license
The Free Art License is a copyleft license that grants the right to freely copy, distribute, and transform creative works without needing the author's explicit permission.The Free Art License recognizes and protects these rights...
, specifically the Free Art License 1.3.
Discography
- Ume in the Middle, On Ensemble. Turtlefield Music, 2009.
- Ukiyo Live: 2007, On Ensemble, 2007.
- Dust and Sand, On Ensemble, 2005.
DVD Concerts
- Live at the Cerritos Center DVD, On Ensemble, 2007.
- NEIRO DVD, On Ensemble, 2006.