Franco Imperial

artistic director

Franco Imperial (franco@taiko.org) is a member of the Audition Process Class of 1998. He joined the Artistic Staff in 2000 and became Artistic Director in 2011. He has created over twenty original works and conceived two productions (Swingposium, TaikoTown) for SJT.

Other co-creation / producer credits include collaborations with artists such as Abhinaya Dance Company (“Synergy” - 2011 Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music/Sound/Text ), 5-time Grammy Award-nominee John Santos, NEA Heritage Fellow Danongan Kalanduyan, artist/teacher Dan Sabanovich, The Bangerz (Ji: A Common Pulse), Epic Immersive (Swingposium, Japantown Immersive), Aswat Ensemble (Echoes Into The Future), and Jeff Rosenstock.

As an instructor / lecturer Franco has led numerous workshops for the North American Taiko Conferences, European Taiko Conference, East Coast Taiko Conference, Intercollegiate Taiko Invitationals, and Calgary Taiko Gathering. In 2019 he was selected to speak at the Pacific Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit in Los Angeles as well as the Engage.next Conferences.

In 2010 he became an Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) Apprenticeship Program recipient. In 2014 Franco was selected to be part of World Arts West’s NextGen Leadership Group for the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. In 2019 he was selected by the City of San Jose Office Cultural Affairs to be a Creative License Ambassador.

Franco has honed San Jose Taiko's unique style and created a voice for the current generation while honoring the group's 50+ year legacy. He leads SJT in artistic projects that align with three pillars: performing art as a catalyst to move audiences from awareness to action; performing art as a way to foster connection, cultural understanding, and widespread creativity; and performing art as a way to open hearts and minds, building a more just and equitable society.