Mu Daiko, a 14-member professional Japanese Taiko drumming ensemble, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, in the Mitchell Auditorium as part of the 2007-2008 Performing Arts Series at The College of St. Scholastica.

Mu Daiko is a nationally recognized Taiko group renowned for its energy, spirit and artistry. Taiko is musical drumming based on ancient Japanese styles and techniques.

Founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Rick Shiomi, the group has performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota.

In 2005 Mu Daiko was selected as one of only four Taiko groups in North America to perform at the annual North American Taiko Conference in Los Angeles, CA.

In addition to its performance schedule, Mu Daiko has an extensive outreach program, working with over 100 schools, community organizations, art institutions and corporations. The group teaches ongoing Taiko classes and conducts elementary, secondary and college-level workshops and residencies.

Taiko drumming goes back to the earliest Japanese communities where it was an integral part of daily life and rituals. It has evolved in North America into a dynamic performance art form.

Minnesota Women’s Press said of Mu Daiko, “The sound is immense, building in intensity, filling the air with wave upon wave of pulsating rhythm. The drummers become the physical embodiment of the sound, using their entire bodies to create the urgent sensation of a musical thunderstorm.”

For more information go to: www.muperformingarts.org

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and students, and $10 for age 12 and younger. For tickets call (218) 723-7000 or (800) 447-5444, ext. 7000, or order online at www.css.edu/mitchell.xml.

The final show of the 2007-2008 Mitchell Performing Arts Series is on Friday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. when Four Shadow, the a cappella sensation from Minneapolis, will entertain with friendly humor and strong vocals. For more information go to: www.fourshadow.com