Join us for a lecture from curator and Professor Aida Yuen Wong. Professor Wong curated our current exhibition, The Inventive Brush: Calligraphic Echoes from China, Japan, and Korea, are about the rich history of ink throughout the ages.
The Thousand Bloom uses the chrysanthemum as a metaphor for Boston Chinatown’s resilience in a nod to popular novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Come celebrate the neighborhood’s rich legacy and enduring spirit through three distinct yet complementary parts.
Join community artists Jennifer Duan, Stephanie Li, and Katelyn Lipton for the unveiling of their public art project, Ping Pong Tables of Chinatown: A Celebration of Diversity and Nature. Spend the afternoon participating in friendly ping pong competitions, art making, lawn games, face painting, and win prizes!
Bring the whole family for an afternoon of fun with crafts, snacks, and a peek into Noodle & Bao by Shaina Lu.
Under the glow of the lights of Chinatown, discover new artists who are lighting up the neighborhood with new murals. Meet up at Pao Arts Center and then you will be taken on an exclusive tour of Experience Chinatown murals. After the tour, enjoy award-winning Asian-inspired small plates and drinks at a cocktail reception at Shojo Boston.
RSVP by Wednesday, October 9th.
Artwork: “A Breath into the Future” by Sam Lê Shave. Photo Credit: Mel Taing
Funds raised will support free public arts and culture activities by Pao Arts Center. Your donation will ensure that arts is accessible to all.
Schedule
6:00 PM - Check-in and view The Inventive Brush: Calligraphic Echoes from China, Japan, and Korea at Pao Arts Center, 99 Albany Street, Boston
6:15 PM - Tour of Experience Chinatown Murals
7:00 PM - Reception with small plates and cocktails at Shojo Boston, 9A Tyler Street, Boston
Tickets
Single Ticket: $150
Make a bigger impact with a sponsorship of $1,000. Sponsorship includes 6 tickets.
Goods and services are valued at $100 per ticket.
Artwork: “A Breath into the Future” by Sam Lê Shave. Photo Credit: Mel Taing
For questions please contact Wes Boudreau at 617-249-2995 x1091
Join us for a dance workshop as part of The Thousand Bloom, a public art project by artist
Anita Yip celebrating the unwavering resilience and rich legacy of Boston Chinatown.
Performances, Activities, and Exhibits
Saturday, September 28 from 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Rain Date: Sunday, September 29
Access the digital program here
This fall, see, hear, create, and connect. Together, celebrate the rich cultural fabric of Boston Chinatown through free creative activities.
11:00 AM | Kwong Kow Chinese School, Youth Lion Dance Team
11:15 AM | BU Bhangra, an all-inclusive Bhangra team
11:30 AM | Kapatid Kud, global fusion music collective
12:30 PM | Kold Kwan, Chinese-American hip-hop artist
1:30 PM | The Flavor Continues, community-led street dance organization
2:00 PM | JC Alula + her band, Chinese/Cantopop singer-songwriter and band
Passport to Experience Chinatown
Look for the Pao Arts Center yellow tent and pick up your passport to visit the mural sites in Chinatown. Collect your stamps to redeem a special prize!
Imagine Safety with Joanna Tam
Share what safety means to you in this project which amplifies the voices of Chinatown community members.
The Thousand Bloom: A Chrysanthemum Grows in Chinatown with Anita Yip
Contribute to a collaborative puzzle that celebrates Chinatown’s rich legacy and enduring spirit.
Sprouts of Resilience: A Journey from Seed to Tofu with Ying Ye
Explore gardening, food, and healing in her communal project.
Flower-Crown Making
Celebrate the end of summer and show off your creativity by making your own decorative headpiece.
Library Park Cart with Maria Fong and ACDC
Fold paper fans and learn about heat resilience in Boston Chinatown. Share what open space and public parks mean to you.
Fun with Bunker Hill Community College
Come by for an interactive activity.
SaturPLAY with ACDC’s A-VOYCE Youth | 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Family friend activities at Mary Soo Hoo Park celebrating this month’s theme Back to School!
Pao Arts Center | 99 Albany Street
Enjoy the current exhibit: The Inventive Brush: Calligraphic Echoes from China, Japan, and Korea
BCNC | 38 Ash Street
BCNC Acorn’s 50th Anniversary Celebration | 10:00 AM -12:00 PM
BCNC’s Acorn program turns 50 years old! Reconnect with fellow alumni, beloved teachers, and supportive parents. It's a perfect opportunity to relive cherished memories and create new ones.
Credit: BUIC 2024 Spring Show
BU Bhangra is Boston University’s premier all-inclusive bhangra team. They are dedicated to raising awareness about South Asian culture through a folk Indian dance form, bhangra. The team fosters a safe space for members of all backgrounds to become not just skilled dancers, but moreover, confident artists. They perform at events, such as festivals and weddings, and compete in national competitions.
Credit: The Flavor Continues
The Flavor Continues is Massachusetts’ first community-led nonprofit serving the Street and Club dance communities.
Credit: zeroeriko
JC Alula + her band bring the energies of jazz, R&B, and rock together for audiences to enjoy. JC Alula is a Taiwanese artist based in Boston who is also the music director, singer, and arranger for the Taiwanese Music Festival. Be sure to check out their set, which will feature upbeat Mandarin songs!
Credit: courtesy of artist
Kapatid Kud is proud to present their multicultural collective including third culture artists hailing from Bahrain, India, and the Philippines. Their playful music is grounded in community and joy. They also strive to explore music as a way to process trauma, bring to light stories of those in the margins, and connect with those around them.
Credit: Krispy Pic
Kold Kwan is a Chinese-American hip-hop artist raised by Cantonese speaking immigrants from Guandong. Inspired by lyricists and storytellers such as Lupe Fiasco, Nas, and Kendrick Lamar, Kwan makes music authentic to his personality and lived Asian American experiences and aims to represent Asian Americans in a positive light.
Credit: Kwong Kow Chinese School
Kwong Kow Chinese School's Youth Lion Dance Team unites teens from their community to positively impact schools, organizations, and AAPI communities by showcasing traditional Chinese culture. With more than two dozen members, the team is uniquely driven, led, and governed by its members and its elected youth executive board. Since its formation in 2021, the team has performed traditional lion dance at nearly a hundred festivals and events throughout Greater Boston.
Thanks to our official parking partner, SP+ Parking, we can offer a discounted rate at the Beach Street Garage (40 Beach Street Boston, MA 02111).
From September 1 - October 27, you can book a parking reservation at $10 for 4 hours and $19 for 8 hours. Click the link below to get started.
Join us for a deep dive into the Chinese calligraphic form in a demonstration led by master artist, Mike Yuguo Mei.
Join us for a unique experience that blends dance and calligraphy.
Join us for a unique experience that blends music and calligraphy. Japanese master calligrapher Michiko Imai.
Everyone deserves to feel safe in a neighborhood where they live and work. During ACDC’s Summer Picnic, Joanna Tam honors the resilient history of Boston Chinatown residents and inspires the community to continue its civic engagement tradition.
Join us to celebrate the opening of our latest exhibit with artists Mike Mei, Michiko Imai, and YoungSun Jang and exhibit curator, Aida Yuen Wong.
Join us on Thursday, June 20, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM for a screening of the film Twilight’s Kiss (“Suk Suk”), 2019 co-presented with BAAFF. The film follows the story of two closeted married men in their twilight years as they navigate their families and personal histories while contemplating a possible future together.
Join us in celebrating the release of Corky Lee’s Asian America, a stunning retrospective of his life’s work- a selection of the best photographs from his vast collection, from his start in New York’s Chinatown in the 1970s to his coverage of diverse Asian American communities until his passing in 2021.
Join Maddie Lam, Anny Thach, and Pao Arts Center for an evening of poetry and music. The performances take you through an inner landscape of a human heart, charting the atlas of grief and loss, celebration and regeneration. Through prose and poetry, visual narrative, and song, Dandelions in the Stardust is a soft place to land.
Turn everyday pantry items into tiny, delectable sculptures using quick dry clay and paints.
Experiment with vibrant colors, textures, and shapes to create one-of-a-kind prints that capture the imagination.
Based on traditional Mexican tile art, this workshop will encourage participants to think about patterns in new and exciting ways.
What is your family's story of immigration to Boston? Inspired by artist Yu-Wen Wu’s Lantern Stories, Lining Zhang, from Harvard Education School, hosts an interactive workshop with storytelling, art making, and conversation to explore what immigration and cultural identity means for family. Adults and children above age 10 accompanied by caregivers are welcome to join.
Join us for the opening reception of Inspired by... Artwork by Josiah Quincy Elementary School.
Bring in the year of the dragon with an elegant reception featuring live music, and small plates and cocktails from Shojo Boston by celebrated restaurateur, Brian Moy. Enjoy award-winning takes on old-school Asian dishes and drinks with a flair while experiencing live entertainment and the current Pao Arts Center exhibits, Lunchbox Moments and Chinatown Workers Statues: A Statue in the Making. Before the night is over, leave your hopes for the new year on our wishing tree.
Join Pao Arts Center to celebrate the Lunar New Year!
We will host an afternoon of art, interactive workshops, and performances. All ages are invited to join us for cultural activities as we usher in the year of the dragon!
Directed by Tianding He, SKINLESS reimagines the ancient Chinese legend The White Snake as a queer, gender-bending modern fairy tale.
Experience a multimedia musical performance from No-No Boy (singer Julian Saporiti) as part of the tour for his latest album Empire Electric. This newest release brings Asian American history to life through a uniquely inventive approach to storytelling.
Join us for the opening of our newest exhibits, Lunchbox Moments and Chinatown Worker Statues: A Statue in the Making
Murals: September 1 - October 14, 2023
Live Performances: October 1
This fall, see, hear, create, and connect. Together, celebrate the rich cultural fabric of Boston Chinatown through free creative activities.
In case of inclement weather, performance will take place on the rain date - Sunday, October 1, 2023.
11:00 am | Continuum Dance Project (a part of Momentum Greenway Dance Program, Presented by Amazon, 2023)
11:15 am | Tour of Experience Chinatown murals (check-in under yellow Pao Arts Center tent)
11:30 am | Nüwa Athletic Club | Chinese Lion Dance
11:45 am | TIFFY | Singer-Songwriter
12:50 pm | Maddie Lam | Singer-Songwriter
1:00 pm | Tour of Experience Chinatown murals (check-in under yellow Pao Arts Center tent)
2:00 pm | Juk-Sing | Canto-Pop Band
3:00 pm | Encore presentation: Continuum Dance Project (a part of Momentum Greenway Dance Program, Presented by Amazon, 2023)
11:00 am - 3:30 pm | Pao Arts Center, 99 Albany St | At Home In Chinatown: A Residence Lab Retrospective | Exhibit Gallery Hours
Experience Chinatown is a part of Chinatown HOPE, an open space initiative, led by a collective of 8 community organizations in Boston’s Chinatown, to advocate for new and improved open spaces, and promote community wellness.
Founded in 2013 by Fernadina Chan, CDP choreographers/co-directors Adriane Brayton and Fernadina Chan work collaboratively with their dancer. Continuum Dance Project pushes the boundaries of audience interaction and traditional vantage points, by presenting work in unconventional spaces.
Photo Credit: Annielly Camargo
Inspired by the Cantonese hits of the 80s and 90s, these Kwong Kow Chinese School dropouts have performed covers of Beyond, Faye Wong, and many more across the Greater Boston Area since 2018. By sharing these classics along with original songs, Juk Sing (JK Wong, Jeffrey La, and Ashley Yu) hopes to bring back some cultural nostalgia with a dream pop twist.
Maddie Lam is a Boston-born singer-songwriter, producer, and performer. She understands music as the sound of a soul. Infused with softness, her music and performances offer a dynamic, connective and healing space for others to rest in.
The Nüwa Athletic Club, based in Boston, MA, provides an environment for Asian American girls and women to enhance their physical and emotional development through teamwork, sportsmanship and cultural activities which includes but is not limited to lion and dragon dance.
TIFFY is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer Tiffany Sammy. TIFFY represents what it means for genres to clash and meld in 2023, preserving a bottled-up mix of dream rock, sugar pop, and coarse punk. Often boiling the terminology down to "soft punk", her music has been featured in FADER, Paste Magazine, NPR and Vanyaland. She actively plays throughout New England with her live band.
PRESENTING
PLATINUM
GOLD
EVENT PRESENTER
PATRON
FRIEND
COMMUNITY
PARTNERS
Join us as we bring joy and laughter to the heart of Chinatown in this family-friendly community celebration.
Cornhole, crafting, music, giveaways and more!
Brought to you by Chinatown HOPE, a collective of eight Chinatown organizations, funded through Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Community-based Health Initiative, with the aim of coming together to leverage and build upon existing assets to have a greater, lasting impact on working class residents in Boston Chinatown.
Chinatown HOPE is a collective of eight Chinatown organizations with the aim of coming together to leverage and build upon existing assets to have a greater, lasting impact on working class residents in Boston Chinatown. Community engagement began in summer of 2022 to understand what the Chinatown community thought a healthy neighborhood looked like, and resulted in our 3 branched intervention. Chinatown HOPE was funded through Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Community-based Health Initiative to decrease social isolation and increase community cohesion by activating open space in Chinatown through gardening, arts, cultural programming, and resident leadership development.
This fall, see, hear, create, and connect. Together, celebrate the rich cultural fabric of Boston Chinatown through free creative activities.
Enjoy lively murals that respond to this year’s theme, “How does a community thrive?”
Create your own self-paced tour or join a guided tour on September 30th at 11:15 am or 1:00 pm.
APM coffee: 99 Kneeland Street | A Communal Blend | Jennifer Duan
Crave Chinatown: 75 Kneeland Street | Unity | Jinyi Duan
WakuWaku: 2 Tyler Street | Welcoming Dishes | Yuan-yuan Wang
Q Restaurant: 660 Washington Street | We Protect Each Other | Yixuan Zeng
Happy Lamb Hotpot Boston: 693 Washington Street | Let’s Eat | Jialu Zou
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC): 38 Ash Street | What Makes a Community Thrive? | BCNC Youth Center | Read more about their process of creating the murals
11:00 am | Continuum Dance Project (a part of Momentum Greenway Dance Program, Presented by Amazon, 2023) | Contemporary Dance
11:15 am | Tour of Experience Chinatown murals (check-in under yellow Pao Arts Center tent)
11:30 am | Nüwa Athletic Club | Chinese Lion Dance
11:45 am | TIFFY | Singer-Songwriter
12:50 pm | Maddie Lam | Singer-Songwriter
1:00 pm | Tour of Experience Chinatown murals (check-in under yellow Pao Arts Center tent)
2:00 pm | Juk-Sing | Canto-Pop Band
3:00 pm | Encore presentation: Continuum Dance Project (a part of Momentum Greenway Dance Program, Presented by Amazon, 2023) | Contemporary Dance
11:00 am - 3:30 pm | Pao Arts Center, 99 Albany St | At Home In Chinatown: A Residence Lab Retrospective Exhibit
Experience Chinatown is part of Chinatown HOPE, a collective of eight Chinatown organizations, funded through Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Community-based Health Initiative, with the aim of coming together to leverage and build upon existing assets to have a greater, lasting impact on working class residents in Boston Chinatown.
Jennifer (Jenn) Duan (she/they) is a Chinese American artist based in Cambridge, MA. She is inspired by how art can be used as a medium for storytelling, emotional healing, and conveying the intangible. Through art, Jenn is interested in exploring the intersections of Chinese American identity, mental health, and what it means to be part of a community. In their free time, Jenn likes running, collecting zines, and peeling tangerines.
Jinyi Duan
Jinyi Duan (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist who draws inspiration from the various cultures they have been a part of through their life. Responding to a world that is becoming more segregated, they hope to show the individual nuances that make up various cultures, and in turn, highlighting the connections that exist between them. Typically working visually in acrylic paint, pens, and sharpies, they specialize in line work with a limited color palette.
Yuan-yuan Wang (she/her) is a Taiwanese artist and educator based in Boston, MA. She is interested in showing personal experiences and philosophy through art, connecting deeply with texture, layers and colors.
Yixuan Zeng (they/them) is a visual artist that passionately believes in the limitless power of storytelling for greater social change. They have collaborated at numerous film festivals to elevate underrepresented stories, formerly as Programming Director at the Boston Asian American Film Festival. As an illustrator and designer, Yixuan has worked on a variety of projects from apparel to emojis. Nowadays, Yixuan crafts murals to reclaim public spaces for local communities and to inspire collective healing.
Jialu Zou (they/them) is a non-binary Chinese American freelance illustrator based in Boston, MA. They graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in illustration. They specialize in digital illustration with a focus on bright colors and a variety of textures. Jialu’s previous professional experience includes public art, gala pieces, and various zine projects. Besides illustrations, Jialu loves cooking, book making, and most of all, spending time with their cat, Percy.
The Youth Center provides opportunities for youth to build connections, explore and understand their community, and to put leadership skills into action. Through year-round programming centered on leadership development, education, and workforce readiness in Boston and Quincy, BCNC supports youth to thrive in school and beyond. Read more about their process of creating the murals.
Founded in 2013 by Fernadina Chan, CDP choreographers/co-directors Adriane Brayton and Fernadina Chan work collaboratively with their dancer. Continuum Dance Project pushes the boundaries of audience interaction and traditional vantage points, by presenting work in unconventional spaces.
Photo Credit: Annielly Camargo
Inspired by the Cantonese hits of the 80s and 90s, these Kwong Kow Chinese School dropouts have performed covers of Beyond, Faye Wong, and many more across the Greater Boston Area since 2018. By sharing these classics along with original songs, Juk Sing (JK Wong, Jeffrey La, and Ashley Yu) hopes to bring back some cultural nostalgia with a dream pop twist.
Maddie Lam is a Boston-born singer-songwriter, producer, and performer. She understands music as the sound of a soul. Infused with softness, her music and performances offer a dynamic, connective and healing space for others to rest in.
The Nüwa Athletic Club, based in Boston, MA, provides an environment for Asian American girls and women to enhance their physical and emotional development through teamwork, sportsmanship and cultural activities which includes but is not limited to lion and dragon dance.
TIFFY is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer Tiffany Sammy. TIFFY represents what it means for genres to clash and meld in 2023, preserving a bottled-up mix of dream rock, sugar pop, and coarse punk. Often boiling the terminology down to "soft punk", her music has been featured in FADER, Paste Magazine, NPR and Vanyaland. She actively plays throughout New England with her live band.
PRESENTING
PLATINUM
GOLD
EVENT PRESENTER
PATRON
FRIEND
COMMUNITY
PARTNERS
A new play reading in Cantonese and English
Directed by Wilson Wang
Performed at the Pao Arts Center, 99 Albany Street, Boston
Flight of a Legless Bird follows the intertwined lives of Robin and Leslie, two queer artists from the 1980s to the 2000s. Robin, a filmmaker in New York's West Village, confronts the reality of a HIV/AIDS diagnosis, while Leslie, an accomplished Cantopop star and actor, grapples with his personal hurdles in bustling Hong Kong. Their worlds collide by chance, uniting them through shared desires as the new millennium approaches. Poetically fusing Cantonese and English, the play reminisces a golden era of music, love, identity, and the transformative power of art in a rapidly changing time.
Flight of a Legless Bird is a recipient of The Paul Stephen Lim Playwriting Award Distinguished Achievement at the 2022 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Premiered in July 2021 at Ying Drama Studio’s (鷹劇坊) MINI Theater Festival in Beijing; developed through New York Theater Workshop’s Mind the Gap program with funding from The Sam Hutton Fund at Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts.
Pricing : Free, suggested donation $10
Performance Dates:
Friday, June 2, 2023 - 7:00 PM + Post-show conversation
Saturday, June 3, 2023 - 2:00PM
Saturday, June 3, 2023 - 7:00PM + Post-show “Red Heels” Cantopop Dance Party
About Found in Translation:
Found in Translation is a collaboration between Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (AATAB), CHUANG Stage, and Pao Arts Center. Established in 2021, Found in Translation celebrates the power and complexities of being multilingual, immigrants, or identifying as Asian American in Greater Boston through theatre.
Contact : ashley.yung@bcnc.net
Ethan Luk (Playwright)
Ethan Luk was born and raised in Hong Kong. His work has been recognized by 92Y, The Kennedy Center, One Teen Story, Sine Theta Magazine, and The Adroit Journal among others. He is currently an undergraduate at Princeton University. www.ethanluk.com
Wilson Wang (Director)
Born in Northern China, Wilson Wang is currently a student at the University of California, Berkeley. His practices actively engages both filmic and performance arts through the lens of critical humanities, with a specific interest in corporeality, race, aesthetic philosophy, and labor. His artistic contributions include Flight of a Legless Bird, A Visit from the Dead, The Moment I Died (short film), and A Breath Under Water (short film).
Patrick Ip (Leslie Cheung)
Patrick Ip is an LA based actor who travels between Asia and North America. Graduated from UC Berkeley with an Electrical Engineering Computer Science degree, he had worked in several fields but couldn’t resist his love for performing--he received his master’s in acting at Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2019. He has performed in Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong.
EK William (Robin Heron)
Meet EK William. Fresh off of playing the villainous Pharoah in Ed Chisholm's Off-Broadway show "The Savage Queen", you can now spot this method actor in several national commercials and films. EK loves creating characters who are pensive, intense, dominant, and passionate; all having multi-dimensionality. EK has received training from New England Conservatory, Checkov Actors Studio Boston, and the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute.
Hana Yiu (Anita Mui)
Hana Yiu, a versatile classical singer, is making her theatrical debut with Chuang Stage in the US. As a classical singer, She will be joining the esteemed Seraphic Fire at Aspen Music Festival this summer. Additionally, she is also part of the New York Philharmonic Chorus. Hana holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and a Master's degree from The Hartt School.
Anthony Eng (Cheung Wut-Hoi/Theo)
Anthony Eng is a Boston-based actor who usually only does short films. He is excited to make his theatre debut in Flight of the Legless Bird. When not on stage, he is a teacher and a single dad. He’d like to thank Ken Cheeseman, the cast and crew, as well as the various families who helped with childcare!
JK Wong (Kenny/Daffy)
JK Wong is a Boston local artist. He is most known for his multilingual indie surf punk band, Orca Bones, his live-looping project, aznjujube, and his canto-pop band, Juk Sing.
Originally from Quincy, MA, JK can now be spotted kicking the Chinese shuttlecock or eating snacks around Boston Chinatown.
Jen Lewis (Dinah Heron)
Jen Lewis is an Actor, director, teacher, activist and mom, Jen teaches Acting at Bunker Hill Community College and served as Interim Executive Director of StageSource. As You Like It (Merely Players); Othello (Dream Role Players), Legally Dead (Boston Playwrights'); Living Out (Lyric Stage); and Friends of Eddie Coyle (Stickball).
Evan Taylor (David)
Evan Taylor is a Boston Based actor currently attending Emerson College (BFA Acting 24’), and is thrilled to work with CHUANG Stage/Pao Arts Center/AATAB for the first time. Recent credits include Logan in Paris (Emerson Stage) and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (EmShakes). A big thanks to my family and friends for supporting my dream, you rock!
CHUANG Stage is the first Mandarin-English bilingual, bicultural theatre company nationwide, cultivating joyful and challenging Asian American stories that pioneer a new activism in the arts.
Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston is a social collective that empowers and connects Pan-Asian theatre artists in the Greater Boston area.
The Found in Translation Series is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts' Public Art for Spatial Justice program, with funding from the Barr Foundation.
A multimedia opera and surrealist drama, co-produced with Guerilla Opera that follows two Chinese-American women who meet in the afterlife and explores conflicts between their Western upbringing and Chinese culture.
HER | alive.un.dead is a concert-length media opera about three generations of Asian women in a single family. Through birth and death cycles in the family, and encounters in a space called the “in-between”, these women expound on gender biases against women, and discriminatory practices upon people of Asian descent.
HER | alive.un.dead focuses on the specific experiences of being an Asian woman in a largely Western society and upbringing. This clash between East and West is interpreted differently between three generations of women in a single family, and changes drastically from character to character due to each character's background and upbringing: fresh immigrant with strong connections to her homeland, first-generation Chinese American trying to integrate into American society, and a second-generation Chinese American who really only feels like she is American and is ignoring the 'Chinese' part of her heritage.
The opera will take place in ten scenes within three acts, with over 60 minutes of music. The narrative is non-linear, which helps contrast between the dramatic arc and musical arc of the work.
The libretto is in English, Mandarin, and Teochew.
Flashing Lights Warning: This performance features flashing lighting effects.
Trigger Warning: This performance includes topics of teen suicide, and may be disturbing for certain audience members. Resources for crisis and suicide prevention are available 24/7 by dialing 998 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Friday, May 12 | 8:00 PM with Opening Night Post-Show discussion with creators and cast
Saturday, May 13 | 3:00 PM with Pre-Show Tactile Tour (2:00 PM start time, preregistration required) and Post-Show discussion with creators and cast
Saturday, May 13 | 7:30 PM
Sunday, May 14 | 3:00 PM
Price: Tiered $15-55
Unlike traditional opera companies, Guerilla Opera is an ensemble of artists that perform without a conductor or formal music director. This is unusual and distinguishes Guerilla Opera in the field of opera. This practice requires extraordinary awareness and communication skills that can only be honed through consistent practice by a group of artists working together over time.
Founded in 2007, Guerilla Opera (GO) is one of Boston’s most exciting ensembles creating brave new works, with The Boston Globe raving that “radical exploration remains the cornerstone of everything it does”. This artist-led ensemble wields a mission to present new experimental works of opera theater that are tailored to their ensemble of outstanding artists. Their artistic vision is to generate a unique body of work that ferociously confronts the status quo through culturally-focused and socially-resonant stories that examine and question antiquated and stereotypical traditions of the art form of opera and to bring thrilling performances to nationwide audiences. With this mission and vision, Guerilla Opera has garnered a national reputation for innovation, with Opera News raving that “Guerilla Opera redefines the Opera experience.”
Emily Koh
Emily Koh is a Singaporean composer based in Atlanta, whose music is characterized by inventive explorations of the smallest details of sound. In addition to writing acoustic and electronic concert music, she enjoys collaborating with other creatives in projects where sound plays an important role in the creative process. Emily is currently Assistant Professor of Composition at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. (https://emilykoh.net)
Mo Zhou
Originally from China, Mo Zhou is a stage director and educator whose international career spans all artistic disciplines including opera, theater, musical theater, dance, and film.
Equally passionate about invigorating classical canons and spearheading new works, Zhou’s productions have been seen at Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, National Centre for the Performing Arts in China, Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, the Juilliard School, WP Theatre, to name a few. She has also worked as a member of the directing staff at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, the Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, among others.
Sol Kim Bentley
Two-time Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions regional finalist Sol Kim Bentley was lauded by Opera News for her “ardently sincere … beautifully restrained and heartbreaking” performance as Cardillac’s Daughter in Hindemith’s Cardillac for Opera Boston, the production of which was named one of the top ten international musical events of 2011 by Musical America. Previously, she understudied the title role in Opera Boston’s world premiere of Zhou Long’s 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Madame White Snake (performing the role for an invited dress rehearsal), and was the Roll Seller in Opera Boston’s New England premiere of Shostakovich’s The Nose.
Nina Guo
Soprano Nina Guo is interested in the sounds of recent and ongoing times, and her performance practice includes interpreting notated music, improvising, and collaborating on interdisciplinary projects. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in classical voice from the New England Conservatory of Music (2015), she completed a Master’s degree in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts at the Universität der Künste in Berlin (2020). As a contemporary music specialist, her upcoming performances include solo appearances with Ensemble Modern (Frankfurt) and Decoder Ensemble (Hamburg), and recently, she has been featured at festivals like Acht Brücken (Köln), Passion:SPIEL at the Deutsches National Theater (Weimar), and Music in Time at Spoleto Festival (Charleston).
Jeannette Lee
Described to have “a lovely mezzo voice with lots of color, warmth and vibrancy,” Hong Kong mezzo-soprano Jeannette Lee is a sought-after versatile performer who was awarded the Hilda Harris Mezzo Soprano Prize at the 2022 George Shirley Vocal Competition. She was also a prize winner in 2023 William C. Byrd Young Artist Competition, 2021 NATS Artist Award (New England Region).
On the international concert stage, she has appeared as a soloist in Bach’s Mass in B minor and BWV70 &130, Beethoven’s Chorale Fantasy, Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Messiah, Britten’s Cantata Academica, Monteverdi’s Marienvespers and Osvaldo Golijov’s Oceana. Jeannette is passionate about collaborating on new works, having recently premiered Simon Andrews’ Seasons in FUSE: Collaborations in Song and sang the East Coast premiere of Jenni Brandon’s Sea Smoke on Gichigami.
Jiayin Shi
Jiayin Shi is an operatic baritone singer, currently pursuing a doctoral degree at Boston University, School of Music. With a wide range of performing experiences, Jiayin Shi has served in various genres, including opera, oratorio, musical theater, and art songs. He has been praised for his performances in works such as Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Philip Glass and Robert Moran’s The Juniper Tree, as well as his work in the musical theater genre, including a Chinese musical: May Be Tomorrow Belongs to Me. Jiayin Shi earned two master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the China Conservatory of Music. He also received his bachelor’s degree from the China Conservatory of Music. With the passion of a musician, Jiayin Shi keeps on the journey of sharing his music with audiences around the world.
Lilit Hartunian
Violinist Lilit Hartunian performs at the forefront of contemporary music innovation, both as soloist and highly in-demand collaborative artist. First prize winner in the 2021 Black House Collective New Music Soloist Competition, Ms. Hartunian’s "Paganiniesque virtuosity" and “captivating and luxurious tone” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) are frequently on display at the major concert halls of Boston, including multiple solo performances at Jordan Hall and chamber music at Symphony Hall (Boston Symphony Orchestra Insights Series), as well as at leading academic institutions, where she often appears as both soloist and new music specialist. Highlights from the 2022-2023 season include performances with A Far Cry at The Kennedy Center, Boston Modern Orchestra Project at Carnegie Hall, and [Switch~ Ensemble] at June in Buffalo.
Stephen Marotto
A native of Norwalk, Connecticut, Stephen has received a Bachelors degree with honors from the University of Connecticut, and Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Boston University. Stephen’s formative teachers include Michael Reynolds, Kangho Lee, Marc
Johnson, and Rhonda Rider. A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Stephen plays regularly with chamber groups throughout New England and also performs on various new music concert series in the Boston area and beyond. Stephen has attended music festivals at the
Banff Centre, Cortona Sessions for New Music and SoundSCAPE festival in Italy, and the Summer Course for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany. Stephen has a wide range of musical interest that include contemporary chamber music, improvisatory music, and electroacoustic music.
Philipp Stäudlin
Stäudlin is an award-winning virtuoso saxophonist who has performed hundreds of concerts throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. His characteristic tonal qualities, deep sense of phrasing, and superb technical skills make him one of the most unique voices in today's classical saxophone world.
A native of Friedrichshafen, Germany, Stäudlin has appeared as a soloist with the Sinfonieorchester Basel, Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), Sound Icon ensemble, White Rabbit Ensemble (former ensemble-in-residence at Harvard University), Niederrheinische Sinfoniker, Callithumpian Consort, Bielefelder Philharmoniker, Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, Tufts University Orchestra, Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the Providence Singers.
Mike Williams
Hailed by the Boston Globe as “one of the city’s best percussionists,” Mike Williams has performed throughout North America and Europe and is a regular performer in the Boston area. An advocate for contemporary music, he is a member of the new music sinfonietta Sound Icon, Callithumpian Consort and is the percussionist and artistic director of Guerilla Opera, with whom he has commissioned and premiered 14 new chamber operas since 2007. He has also performed with such groups as the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Ludovico Ensemble, Chameleon Arts Ensemble, and Harvard Group for New Music. Williams has worked with many of the leading composers of our time, including Pierluigi Billone, Philippe Leroux, Salvatore Sciarrino, Gunther Schuller, and Roger Reynolds, and he has been involved in numerous recordings on labels such as Cantaloupe, BMOP/sound, Albany, and Northwest Classics.
Saskia Martinez
Saskia Martinez (they/them) is a Boston-based scene designer and scenic artist. Regional credits include: Coriolanus, Seven Guitars (Actors’ Shakespeare Project), Little Women: The Musical (Wheelock Family Theatre), Nina Simone: Four Women, Snow White, The Little Foxes, Appropriate (South Coast Repertory Theatre). Education: Boston University.
Nuozhou Wang
Nuozhou is a filmmaker and a video artist based in the US. She has designed projection for various opera productions and has directed, cinematographed, and created visual effects for numerous films and videos. Her work, featuring women characters invariably, explores gender, class, and sexuality. Nuozhou has engaged in the creation of works presented at various venues including the Museum of Modern Art, Pioneer Works, and Art Basel. Her works have aired on WCVB and have been featured in Broadway World, The Boston Globe, Vogue, Boston Musical Intelligencer, South China Morning Post, NIKKEI Asia, etc. Nuozhou received her BFA in Sculpture from Rhode Island School of Design.
Marie Yokoyama
Marie Yokoyama (she/her) is a lighting and set designer based in NY. Her lighting credit includes Rinaldo at Minnesota Opera; Orpheus in the Underworld and Rake's Progress at Juilliard; note to a friend at Tokyo Bunkakaikan; Merry Widow at Opera Theater Pittsburgh; Kim’s Convenience at Westport CountyPlayhouse; Searching for Mr. Moon at Portland Stage; Mystery of Irma Vep at St. Louis Rep; Testmatch at American Conservatory Theater San Francisco; Tiny Beautiful Things at Merrimack Repertory Theatre; Do You Feel Anger at Vineyard Theatre; and Pillowtalk with Kyoung's Pacific Beats. She is the Associate Artist for the Redhouse Arts Center where she has designed Macbeth, Fences, God of Carnage, On Golden Pond, and Ragtime.
Lindsay Hoisington
Lindsay Hoisington (Costume Designer) is a Boston-based Costume Designer, Wardrobe Supervisor, and Draper. She has worked as a Designer for Company Theatre on Frozen Jr. and Roald Dahl's Matilda, the Musical, Virginia Children's theatre on The Addam's Family and Cinderella, and here at Guerilla Opera for Her | Alive.Un.Dead. She has been Wardrobe Supervisor at WFT@BU, for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Actor's Shakespeare project and several others. She has also been a dresser for The Huntington as well as Odessy Opera, White Snakes Productions, and others. She has draped for Merrimack Rep Theatre and frequently for her design jobs. She hopes to bring compassion, empathy, and truth to every work she is in.
Keithlyn Parkman
Keithlyn B Parkman graduated from the Boston University College of Fine Arts with a BFA in Lighting Design. 10 years ago, during her time at BU, she stumbled across this zany little opera family, and the rest is history. Keithlyn has done a great many things for Guerilla over the years, but Thrilling may top the scales in number of jobs held, including but not limited to Lighting & Scenic Design, Props Mistress and Associate Producer. GO is an ensemble after all. When not running around Boston with Guerilla, Parkman shares her passion for theater making by mentoring young theater artists at various highschools in her hometown of NYC. Recent Guerilla credits include SALT, Rumpelstiltskin and Ofelia's Life Dream. Upcoming projects include Alice By Heart (The Beacon School) and Chicago (Berkeley Carroll).
Sarah Schneider
Sarah Schneider (she/her) is a Boston-based stage manager and child supervisor. In addition to her work with Guerilla Opera (Rumpelstiltskin, Emergence Fellowship Showcase), she has worked with Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Boston Ballet, Huntington Theatre Company, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Wheelock Family Theatre, Company One, the Boston University Opera Institute, and more. Sarah is a graduate of Boston University where she earned her BFA in Stage Management.
Jolie Frazer-Madge
Jolie Frazer-Madge (she/her) is excited to be returning to Guerilla Opera, having previously staged managed I Give You My Home and The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage. Previous Boston opera stage management credits include X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Odyssey Opera/Boston Modern Opera Project), and L'Arbore di Diana (New England Conservatory). Jolie holds a BFA in Stage Management from Boston University.
Aliana de la Guardia
Aliana de la Guardia is a Cuban-American soprano vocalist, arts leader, producer, and voice teacher. Specializing in new music and opera, she collaborates with opera companies, chamber ensembles, and varied artists nationwide. She is a co-founding artist and Artistic Director of Guerilla Opera, half of Bahué, a voice and percussion duo, and a PARMA Recordings Artist. She is the owner of the Dirty Paloma Voice Studio where she teaches private voice lessons, as well as at the Community Music School of Springfield, with speaking engagements at institutions, initiatives, conventions, and convenings nationwide.
COVID-19 Policy: All visitors are required to be masked during the duration of the performance. Performers may be unmasked while performing. View more on our visitor policy
Contact | ashley.yung@bcnc.net
The commissioning of Emily Koh for HER | alive.un.dead: a media opera received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
This opera is supported in part by a Grants for Arts Projects Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Live Arts Boston Grant award from The Boston Foundation and their partners at the Barr Foundation and Dunamis., a grant from Eastman’s Institute for Music Leadership’s funds from the Paul R. Judy Center for Innovation and Research, and an award from the New Music USA Creator Development Fund.
This world-premiere opera was developed in partnership with the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum and the Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts.
Join Call and Response artists Sanika Phawde and payal kumar on Sunday, May 7th for an artist talk and live drawing session! Attendees are invited to take part in a few drawing exercises led by the artists, so please be sure to bring your own handheld drawing materials along. Space is limited and registration is required, please see the link below for the Eventbrite page.
Suggested drawing materials: sketchpad or notebook, pencils, markers, crayons, as well as a book, clipboard, or other hard surface to draw on.
Outside the Lines: Artist Talk and Drawing Session with Sanika Phawde & payal kumar is part of Call and Response: Illustration in Uncertain Times. The exhibition features illustrations by seven local AAPI artists who have used their craft to speak to this complicated moment. As with other kinds of labor, these artistic gestures offer critical support to the community by giving voice to different experiences and encouraging care.
Curated by: Leslie Anne Condon
Exhibiting Artists: Deborah Johnson, payal kumar, Lillian Lee, Shaina Lu, Yuko Okabe, Sanika Phawde, Wen-ti Tsen
Zine Artists: Pampi Amdas + Ebbie Russell for the Neighborhood Grow Plan, Asian American Resource Workshop, Asian Students in Alliance’s Lunchbox Magazine, Maya Beach + Asian Coalition Massachusetts, Jennifer Duan, Maria Fong, Anne Hu, Katelyn Lipton, Untangle BU, Keith Khanh Truong
To learn more about the exhibition, go to Call and Response: Illustration in Uncertain Times
Registration is required, and space is limited. Register today!
Contact Leslie Condon at Leslie.Condon@bcnc.net with any questions.
