"As a musician who often tours to different venues, I choose Marimba One instruments because of their quality and attention to detail, producing unmatched consistency through their artistic sound and detailed engineering of their frame. No matter where I perform, I can rely on Marimba One instruments to stand out in a wide variety of musical ensembles"
Shota Otaguro
Shota Otaguro is a multi-talented percussionist based in San Jose, California whose artistic versatility extends to numerous professional ensembles. He serves as the tuned percussionist for The Stinkfoot Orchestra, a band dedicated to performing the works and arts of Frank Zappa. He also serves as the principal percussionist for the Monterey Pops Band, where he holds educational clinics for students of Title 1 public schools and performs for the local community.
Throughout his career, he has won numerous first place awards in various competitions. In 2023 and 2024 as part of the San Francisco Brass Band, he achieved back-to-back first place in the solo percussion category at the North American Brass Band Association, while the San Francisco Brass band — the first west coast band to attend the competition — also secured the top spot in their class. In 2019, he won the Fremont Symphony’s Young Artist Competition and the SJSU concerto competition, while also securing first place in California’s PAS competitive festival’s collegiate solo marimba category in 2018.
In addition, Shota is conducting the San Jose Youth Symphony’s Percussion Ensemble, introducing young musicians to a diverse repertoire of contemporary and classical pieces, including his own compositions and arrangements. Alongside conducting the percussion ensemble, he teaches and organizes the percussion section across all orchestral ensembles in SJYS.
As an advocate for the marching arts, Shota has been the percussion coordinator for the Monta Vista High School music program since 2021. He creates percussion arrangements for the fall marching band season and coaches students as the percussion caption head. During the winter season, he designs, composes, and directs the winter percussion program.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from San Jose State University under the guidance of Galen Lemmon, specializing in classical, orchestral, and contemporary percussion.