Riley Lee
Taikoz Member | Shakuhachi Soloist
Member since 1997
Riley co-founded Taikoz in 1997. He began playing the shakuhachi in 1971 as a student of Chikuho Sakai until 1980, and with Katsuya Yokoyama since 1984. In 1980, he became the first non-Japanese to attain the rank of dai shihan or Grand Master, and from 1973 was the first non-Japanese to play taiko professionally by touring internationally as a full-time performer with Ondekoza. Riley completed his BA and MA degrees in music at the University of Hawai’i, and received his PhD degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Sydney. In 2003, 2009 and 2011, he was made Visiting Fellow at Princeton University.
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What's On
Third show! DOJO LIVE 2 | Taikoz "In Full Flight" | Concert III 11.10
11 Oct 2025
Response to our DOJO LIVE concert series has been overwhelmingly positive - thank you! - and now, due to popular demand, we are offering a...
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Keep up to date with all Taikoz new by subscribing to our newsletter
What's On
Third show! DOJO LIVE 2 | Taikoz "In Full Flight" | Concert III 11.10
11 Oct 2025
Response to our DOJO LIVE concert series has been overwhelmingly positive - thank you! - and now, due to popular demand, we are offering a...
Riley Lee
Taikoz Member | Shakuhachi Soloist
Member since 1997
Riley co-founded Taikoz in 1997. He began playing the shakuhachi in 1971 as a student of Chikuho Sakai until 1980, and with Katsuya Yokoyama since 1984. In 1980, he became the first non-Japanese to attain the rank of dai shihan or Grand Master, and from 1973 was the first non-Japanese to play taiko professionally by touring internationally as a full-time performer with Ondekoza. Riley completed his BA and MA degrees in music at the University of Hawai’i, and received his PhD degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Sydney. In 2003, 2009 and 2011, he was made Visiting Fellow at Princeton University.