TCA is pleased to announce that Heidi Varian has accepted the position of Project Coordinator for Taiko Voices, the 50th Anniversary Song Commission efforts that earned a highly competitive Creative Work Fund grant in October of last year. Heidi will be working closely with the Taiko Voices collaborating team, Franco Imperial of San Jose Taiko, Kate Meigneux of Kinnara, and Ryan Kimura of San Francisco Taiko Dojo, to ensure that the project proceeds smoothly.
Heidi is uniquely qualified to address each aspect of this expansive landmark project encompassing song composition, presentation, developing teaching resources, and the possibility of a teaching tour. Associated with San Francisco Taiko Dojo since 1989, she has toured extensively, performing at venues as varied as Burning Man and Carnegie Hall. In her work as a teaching artist Heidi developed pedagogical materials for a variety of arts programs, and shared taiko as arts therapy in prison and with mental health populations. She has curated and consulted with projects ranging from the 20th through 45th International Taiko Festivals and Hollywood movies to local festivals. She is equally comfortable with the performing arts and the written word, having authored the 2005 book, The Way of Taiko, and serving as the current editor of Sisyphus, an online literary magazine.