Japanese Traditional | Los Angeles, California
The Wagaku Collective (和楽器コレクティブ) is Terry Nguyen, Shih-wei Wu and Wes Hayashi. The Los Angeles based trio are composed of three Asian American musicians that share the love and respect for traditional Japanese folk music. Through live performance, storytelling and workshops, The Wagaku Collective aims to educate and bring joy to our audiences.
Terry Nguyen (Tsugaru shamisen, taiko) Terry Nguyen is a multi-generational, multi-ethnic performer and instructor of Japanese traditional music. Her primary artistic interests are minyo (folk) and traditional music of Japan as performed on the Tsugaru shamisen and taiko drums. Terry currently studies under the tutelage of Tsugaru shamisen virtuoso Hiromitsu Agatsuma.
Terry is co-founder and Executive Director of TaikoMix (Riverside, CA). She is a lecturer with the Department of Music at the University of California, Riverside. In 2022, Terry was named to Yamaha Music USA’s list of “40 Under 40” Music Educators. Her work has been recognized by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (2014) and Living Cultures Program (2023).
Shih-wei Wu (Japanese winds, taiko) Born in Taoyuan, Taiwan ROC, Shih-wei Wu is a composer-performer on the Japanese folk percussion and flutes. Noted by LA Times as a “passionate performer” and by renowned cellist Mike Block as ‘a musician to look to in the future’, Wu is an often sought after collaborator and recording artist. In addition to leading his own genre bending project, Red Eye 2 Tokyo, Wu spends most of his creative energy in collaborating with multidisciplinary artists and performance companies including hyper puppetry troupe, Rogue Artist Ensemble; modern dance company, MULTIPLEX DANCE; Taiwanese-American composer, Michele Chang; contemporary playwright and actor, Lisa Dring; visual artist, Christine Marie Salama; shaman, Yuenen ,and physical theater performer, Adam Kerbel, just to name a few.
As a performer, Wu has appeared on stage with Yoko Ono, Kei Akagi, Kaoru Watanabe, Shoji Kameda, On Ensemble, Yukiko Matsuyama, and more. In 2012, Wu made his Hollywood debut as taiko performer in Rhianna and Chris Martin’s music video, ‘Princess of China’.
Wes Hayashi (taiko and percussion) Wes Hayashi is a 5th Generation Japanese-American Taiko performer in Los Angeles. He began studying taiko in 1996 as a member of the group Koshin Taiko under the direction of Master Etsuo Hongo from the renowned Oedo Sukeroku Taiko in Tokyo, Japan.