The sounds of drums made of animal skin and ancient trees more than 400 years old, enhanced with Japanese wind and string instruments, will be featured in Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s next Celebrity Artist Series program, Yamato, the Drummers of Japan, Saturday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m., in Haas Center for the Arts.

Yamato combines theater and musical arts into a performance of tightly synchronized percussion and expressive solos. Members of Yamato view their performance, based on “wadaiko” or traditional-style Japanese drumming, as a celebration of life. Believing that the drumbeat is the pulse of life and the sound of the drums is the heartbeat of the performance, Yamato creates the energy of life which reaches out to encircle the audience.

Yamato, the Drummers of Japan, began with participation in a festival at Nara, known for many ancient monuments and considered to be the birthplace of Japanese culture. Since its formation in 1993, Yamato has grown from four to 17 members and performed for a million people in shows worldwide. This fall, Yamato set off on its fifth tour of the United States.

General admission is $29, and tickets can be purchased at the Haas Center box office Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday’s box office hours are extended to 7 p.m. when school is in session; on performance days, box office hours are noon to 8 p.m.

A pre-curtain speech on performance highlights will be offered in Haas Gallery at 7:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the box office at (570) 389-4409 or the web site www.bloomu.edu/cas. For more information on Yamato, visit www.yamato.jp