Edinburgh Spotlight loves living in ‘Festival City’ and already has all these dates in its calendar – here’s the rundown of 2012′s festivals.

Mary King’s Ghost Fest TBC for 2012

Paranormal investigations, celebrity ghost hunts and other spooky goings on at The Real Mary King’s Close.

Ceilidh Culture 16 March – 25 April

Edinburgh’s traditional arts festival, featuring music, dance, storytelling and more.

International Science Festival 31 March- 13 April 2012
The International Science Festival features a host of fun and educational events, lectures and attractions celebrating all things scientific.

Beltane Fire Festival 30 April 2012
Beltane is an ancient Celtic festival and Edinburgh plays host to some colourful and exciting celebrations to mark the date.

Imaginate Festival 7 – 14 May 2012
The Imaginate Festival is Edinburgh’s children’s festival and has loads of plays, activities and fun things to do for youngsters of all ages.

Leith Festival 8 -17 June 2012
Come and celebrate all things Leith at this festival, featuring music, dance, art and other exciting events.

Edinburgh International Film Festival 20 June – 1 July
The Edinburgh Film Festival is an internationally-renowned event on the movie festival circuit and attracts premieres and stars from all over the world.

Edinburgh International Magic Festival 29 June – 6 July 2012

2012 will see Edinburgh host the third International Magic Festival with a range of performers show-casing their magical talents.

Edinburgh Art Festival August 2 – September 2
Edinburgh Art Festival celebrates the visual arts in all its diversity, from world-class exhibitions to strikingly original installations.

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival 28 July – 6 August 2012
Get your gladrags on and party to the sounds of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, a popular event which attracts international talent.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 3 - 27 August 2012
Getting bigger, better and – some may say – weirder every year, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the highlight of many a festival-goer’s calendar.

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 3 – 25 August 2012
Selling out months in advance, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a spectacular event taking place on the Castle Esplanade.

The Edge Music Festival TBC 2012
Adding alternative music to the August festival mix, The Edge Music Festival attracts A-list bands as part of its programme.

Festival of Spirituality and Peace TBC 2012

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace features music, dance, talks and other events highlighting humanitarian issues and causes.

Edinburgh International Festival 10 August – 2 September 2012
The one that started it all, the Edinburgh International Festival is a feast of world-class music, dance and theatrical performances.

Edinburgh International Book Festival 11 - 27 August 2012
This literary event attracts major names in the writing, publishing and political fields to the serene Charlotte Square Gardens setting.

Edinburgh Mela Festival 31 August  - 2nd September 2012

Celebrating the cultural diversity of the city, the Mela Festival brings colour and exotic flair to Edinburgh in August.

Scottish Story Telling Festival 19-28 October
Celebrating the great Scottish oral tradition, the Story Telling Festival showcases the talents of national bards, poets and tale-spinners.

Edinburgh’s Christmas TBC – late November – End Dec 2011
Edinburgh sparkles at Christmas and features events, attractions and shows for all the family to enjoy during the festival season.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 30 December 2012 – 2 January 2013
End the year with the biggest street party in the world!

The haunting sounds of traditional Japanese instruments fill the beautiful interior of St John’s during The Ocean, a performance from Ensemble Rivelta, making their first UK appearance with taiko drum group Tenchi Shinmei as part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

Featuring Kazuko Takeda on the horizontal Japanese harp, the koto; and Tenzan Yamada on the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), Ensemble Rivelta evoke the atmosphere of feudal Japan with a number of traditional pieces played with the precision of experts in their field. The versatility of the instruments and the performers are also demonstrated by a selection of western pieces, making The Mountain a well-rounded and enjoyable whole.

Commencing with an original composition to commemorate those who perished in the Japanese earthquake, we are then led through the cherry blossom to ancient Tokyo; then – via a series of twists and musical turns – to tango, classical and even – with a touching and heartfelt rendition of Amazing Grace – closer to home.

The pair hardly speak any English, yet possess a humble grace and an adeptness with their instruments which requires no translation. Taiko drum group Tokara leader Art Lee introduces each number; also joining the ensemble on stage to lend his expert skills to a few of the numbers. He also gives a sneak preview of Tokara’s full show – Tenchi Shinmei: The Mountain – in a powerful and evocative solo number on the large taiko drum at the back of the performance space.

As Ensemble Rivelta pluck and blow their way through an atmospheric set and the sounds of their music swells to the vaulted ceiling of St John’s, the manic hustle of Edinburgh in August seems a thousand miles away; replaced instead by a captivating and beautiful performance played with grace and humility by masters of their craft.

The Ocean runs from 8-29 Aug at 14:00 at St John’s Church. More details here.

Last year, St John’s Church echoed to the unmistakable sounds and rythms of Japanese taiko drumming, when Wadaiko Ensemble Tokara brought their memorable performance Tenchi Shinmei to Edinburgh as part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace.

This year they return with an expanded show. We caught up with Tokara founder and taiko expert, US-born Art Lee, to find out more about Tokara and their plans for this year’s performances.

Tenchi Shinmei (Art Lee on right)

Can you tell us a little about your own journey as a taiko drummer; from what first attracted you to it, to how you came to be a prize-winning practicioner?

I first saw a taiko drumming performance in 1993 while I studied at culinary arts academy.

I was extremely mesmerized by the experience, the dance and martial arts movement and the thunderous sounds that came from the drums. I was lucky enough to find an amateur group located only one hour drive away where I could take lessons up to three times a week.

In 1994, one of the world’s most famous groups, Ondekoza, was on tour in the U.S. for three years. During this time, they were secretly looking for two non-Japanese performers who they would choose to join them for their upcoming Japan Tour which had been planned for years and was being produced by Japan Arts, the top tour production company at the time. While teaching workshops all over the world, they allowed each member of each workshop to play one of their largest drums.

Participants thought this was just for fun, but this was Ondekoza’s method for seeing who was ready to be scouted for this upcoming tour. After my first time playing the drum, I was confused as they asked me to play a second time, then a third time while they watched intently. After the workshop was finished, they invited me to join their Japan Tour. This time to Japan was my first time on a airplane and first time in a foreign country. It was my first experience in Japan, and probably the defining point of my future.

Since those days, I studied almost religiously even while on world tours. In 2001, with the permission and support of my teachers, I was awarded the first and still the only artist visa in the world for a non-Japanese to be considered among the top performers and instructors in the world…which was an indescribable honour.

How would you describe the taiko discipline? It sounds almost a way of life – what does a typical day (if such a thing exists) in the life of a taiko drummer look like?

When most people think about drumming, either hand drumming or kit drumming come to mind. Taiko on the other hand, uses sticks that are big and heavy. When I first started, I felt like I was holding small tree trunks in each hand.

The unmistakable sound of taiko - Tenchi Shinmei

Taiko is very much a way of life. For Tokara, daily routines usually require us to run 10 kilometers, do 200 sit-ups, 200 push-ups, and other exercises before breakfast; clean the office and practice drumming for three hours before lunch. Then practice pounding on big drums with big, wooden sticks for another three hours before dinner.

However, it is not only performing, composing and teaching drumming, it is a way of thinking and acting that makes one a professional taiko artist. For example, in Japan I rarely have a written contract with a client, so I must make sure that the client is not simply satisfied with what they have requested, but rather, it is my goal that they feel they may have even paid too little for the performance or workshop that they have requested.

Can tell us a little about Tokara as a group also – who are the other musicians and artists you have the pleasure of working with?

The group official name is Wadaiko Ensemble Tokara (although can be referred as Tokara), which is a small group of dedicated individuals who work together not only for performance, but we also create our own costumes, posters, flyers, website, stage lighting, sound and everything else that we need for our professional lives.

Tokara is a group which I created in 2004, but it didn’t really become a strong performance group in its own right until approximately two years ago. We actually have three full-time performing members, two extension members and one apprentice. The three performing members (Yukari Ichise, Dean Havixbeck and myself) and the apprentice (Takafumi Onozawa) live in Japan and work with each other everyday.

This year, we also have the pleasure of being joined by our Japan Tour partners, Ensemble Rivelta, who are undoubtedly one of the best traditional music groups in Japan because of their range of music, from traditional japanese to classical and spanish flamenco music, all on traditional Japanese music instruments.

Tell us a little about Tenchi Shinmei’s shows – The Ocean and The Mountain – which you are bringing to Edinburgh this year? What can audiences expect; and how do the shows differ?

The Ocean

‘Tenchi Shinmei’ is a mixture of both hard and soft style of taiko, and rhythms both Japanese and abroad (such as African and Korean). Edinburgh in 2011 will be the first time ever where we are separating the hard and soft aspects of ‘Tenchi Shinmei’ and presenting them as two different performances.

“The Ocean” represents the melodic subtlety of ‘Tenchi Shinmei’ and performed mostly by Ensemble Rivelta, with one taiko drumming piece in the middle.

“The Mountain” represents the rhythmic power and is performed mostly by Wadaiko Tokara with interludes by Ensemble Rivelta.

The difference accentuates the hard and soft separately, but also shows that one cannot exist without the other.

How would you describe your Edinburgh experience during the Festival last year?

Last year was the first time Wadaiko Tokara had performed at the Edinburgh Festival. It was very much a highlight of the touring year as it was the first time for Tokara to perform in Europe as a group. Edinburgh has such a vibrant and artistic energy during this time of year so that we felt energized throughout each day whether during rehearsal, PR or just seeing the sights.

We knew that we needed to work hard everyday to promote the performances from early morning to late night as we didn’t have any kind of budget to hire someone to help with it.

We were so happy with how the audience accepted us and how many people came back to see our shows three and four times, and often asked for two and three encores in one show. Also, working with the staff at St. John’s church for the Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality and Peace was a delight for us. We really fell in love with the city of Edinburgh and with Scotland.

Truly, we are very happy to be able to return this year with our full show and staff for the whole festival.

And what do you and Tenchi Shinmei have planned for after August?

Next year in 2012, we are working with an Indian Dance company to present our new production called “1,001 Buddhas”. Currently there are performances planned for North America in January, and Japan in June and July.

‘Tenchi Shinmei’ will continue on world tour with performances in Japan from May – September 2012 and possibly Europe in late autumn.

We are also accepting new apprentices from the early summer of 2012 and hope to build our group into a twelve member strong touring group.

Tokara will be performing The Ocean and The Mountain as part of the Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality And Peace. Both shows run at St John’s Church with The Ocean from Aug 5-23 at 14:00 and The Mountain from 5-29 Aug at various times. You can find out more and book tickets on the Festival of Spirituality & Peace website; and you can also find out more about Tokara on their own site.

6th February 2010

The 2010 Middle East Festival One World Peace Concert celebrates the cultural diversity of Scotland and the Middle East. The concert takes place at the Roxy Art House from 7-11pm on the 6th Feb. Doors open at 6pm. £12/£10 (concessions).

The running order on the evening is:

• 6pm-7pm: Food and drink provided by Susie’s Diner
• 7pm-7.45pm: Waa Sylla – African rhythms and dance
• 8pm-8.45pm: Samba Sene and Diwan – charismatic Sengalese singer
• 8.45pm-9.15pm: Interval for food and drink provided by Susie’s Diner
• 9.15pm-10.05pm: GOL – ‘UK & Iranian nu-jazz world electronica’!
• 10.20pm-11pm: Babylon Arabic Band – a multi-nationality band playing Arabic tunes

Tickets for the event are available from Tickets Scotland and are also on sale from:

• Susie’s Diner, 51–53 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DB. 0131 667 8729;
• Hilary’s Bazaar, 297 The Royal Mile, Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8BD. 0131 225 7103. www.hilarysbazaar.com;
• Yekta, 96 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1HN, 0131 225 9706.

Appearing as part of the Festival of Spirituality & Peace, Yathra (Journey) is an original piece by Ragamala Dance. The company specialise in a modernisation of Bharatanatyam, a classical form of Indian dance, without compromising its rich and spiritual heritage. Artistic director Ranee Ramaswamy and her talented co-dancers infuses this blend of old and new with unique grace and energetic fluidity, resulting in something quite beautiful to behold.