HAPPY HOLIDAY TIMES

11/27/2019

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By gerrye

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HAPPY HOLIDAY TIMES

BY Gerrye Wong November 27, 2019

Exciting news just in is that MILA, an original chamber opera exploring the cultural richness and diversity of Hong Kong will have its North American premiere in December, in conjunction with Asia Society New York and San Francisco. Performances will take place at Angel Orensanz Center in New York City December 7. For Bay Area opera fans, the San Francisco performance will be at the Wilsey Center for Opera December 12 as presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in collaboration with Asia Society.

MILA, the 70 minute one-act opera in four scenes, will be sung in English, Cantonese and Tagalong by a cast of performers from Hong Kong, Manila and the United States, with the theme centering on a Hong Kong family and the Filipino house helper who works for them. Named after the story’s protagonist, Mila explores the tensions and relationships within a Hong Kong family – an American husband, his Cantonese wife and their son –and their domestic helper Mila from the Philippines. Despite marital tension in the home and her employers’ growing distrust, Mila remains dedicated to her Hong Kong family, soon noticing and becoming troubled by their child’s precarious mental state — a situation that touches an old wound from her own past.

Presented by the Asia Society San Francisco, this opera features the original cast from Hong Kong with musicians of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble traveling the Pacific to greet American audiences. Ironically, in light of recent turmoil in Hong Kong, the opera MILA brings to light Hong Kong’s pressure cooker social environment, examining the territory’s tensions in a 70 minute intersection of home life and the workplace, with a glimpse at the culture’s all-consuming educational rigor. I think is a unique opportunity to see a Hong Kong based opera with its own Asian singers. Don’t miss out. For ticket information: visit https://asiasociety.org/northern-california/events/mila; Joanna Lee/US jchlee23@gmail.com

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY BRINGS HOLIDAY CHEER

I always eagerly look forward to see what our great San Francisco Symphony Orchestra has planned for its holiday concerts. This 2019 season runs from November 26-December 31 and offers a really festive array of concerts for all ages and tastes. Presented at the always colorfully decorated Davies Symphony Hall, the performances range from traditional Christmas classical music to family-friendly events and holiday-themed film presentations, to a star-studded lineup of featured guest artists. You can’t help but get into the holiday spirit after joining happy audiences at these concerts.

CAPTION: DAVIES HALL WITH SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL IN BACKGROUND

Talk about variety. Here it is. For movie lovers, the San Francisco Symphony orchestra accompanies iconic holiday films IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE and LOVE ACTUALLY. For lovers of traditional Christmas music, the SF Symphony and Chorus perform in programs including Handel’s Messiah, Holiday Brass and ‘Twas the Night: a Festival of Carols.

For the growing number of families who are bringing the children to be introduced and inaugurated to wonderful musical experiences, there are family-friendly performances like the annual Deck the Hall celebrations, Holidays Around the World, Peter and the Wolf performed by the SFS Youth Orchestra with guest narrator Dulce Sloan, and five performances of A Charlie Brown Christmas – Live. The latter is a favorite of mine as who can deny seeing Charlie rescue a lonely, unwanted tree without shedding a few happy tears.

CAPTION: CHARLIE BROWN PERFORMERS LIVE ON STAGE

Throughout the December month, the lobbies are transformed into a holiday wonderland, complete with towering trees decorated with handmade ornaments by children and volunteers from local schools and non-profit community organizations. No bah humbug scrooge in sight when everyone is mesmerized by Handel’s Messiah performed by the SF Symphony Chorus and world-class soloists singing their hearts out the famous “Hallelujah” Chorus powered by 100 magnificent voices performing one of the best-loved musical works of all time.

CAPTION: MERRY-ACHI PERFORMERS

Besides the popular MERRY-ACHI CHRISTMAS, which returns by popular demand to showcase the musical tribute to Mexico’s Christmas traditions, the SF Symphony is bringing out a show titled HOLIDAY GAIETY –a fabulously festive holiday variety show co-emceed by conductor Edwin Outwater and San Francisco’s premiere drag sensation Peaches Christ, featuring iconic guests including Coco Peru, Courney Act, Patricia Racette, Beth Clayton, Elliot Franks. and Fou Fou Ha! In addition, there will be a special appearances by Sister Roma from The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Kylie Minono as Mrs. Claus.

CAPTION: PEACHES CHRIST AND EDWIN OUTWATER

As you can gather, the San Francisco Symphony organization is trying to bring shows to please everyone’s musical palate. The piece de resistance, however, is celebrating New Years Eve with San Francisco Symphony and Grammy nominated singer/actor Seth McFarlane who will definitely lend crooning vocals and cool pizzazz to jazz and holiday hits with the “Big Band” sound of the SFS. All concerts take place at Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Get in the spirit of Christmas – www.sfsymphony.org or 415 864 6000 — see you there with a happy smile and song in our hearts!

GOOD BOOK FOR XMAS PRESENTS

A perfect choice for a children’s book is the newly released PAPER SON: THE INSPIRING STORY OF TYRUS WONG, IMMIGRANT AND ARTIST. Author Julie Leung and illustrator Chris Sasaki are deserving of the many awards they are receiving now for the presentation of this book which so simply tells the story of the life of Tyrus Wong, another one of those unsung heroes of his era who were never credited for the superlative work they did in their careers.

CAPTION: COVER PAPER SON CHILDRENS BOOK

As the book begins, this is the story of a boy and his father emigrating from China to the United States in 1919. So well depicted with illustrations, it was not a happy experience for the boy who came with assumed identity, and was separated from his father for weeks before clearance to come on land. Tyrus’ story is of a determined young man who worked his way as a janitor through art school before landing a job at Walt Disney Studios. There, his lush illustrations became the signature look of Bambi, Disney’s very popular film, but he was only credited as a “background artist”. Although fashioned for young readers, four –eight years old, everyone picking up the book would find Sasaki’s illustrations appealing as it seems to blend midcentury stylization with classical Chinese art.

CAPTION: TYRUS WONG AT DISNEY STUDIOS

I had the privilege of meeting Tyrus Wong as he was celebrating a 102nd birthday a few years ago, when the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation honored him. He, an Angel Island detainee, seemed pleased by the enthusiastic recognition he received by our audience of Asian Americans there, young and old, long overdue for his artistic works. Always a modest unassuming man, he seemed overwhelmed by all the attention that night but I remember his shy smile when accepting the accolades showered on him.

CAPTION: GERRYE WONG MEETING TYRUS WONG IN SAN FRANCISCO 2016

I had remembered buying Christmas cards illustrated by Tyrus, back in the 1960s because I loved his water color designs reminiscent of Chinese scenery paintings. How I wish I had kept some of them now. Presenting the PAPER SON book to a child in your family about a Chinese American immigrant boy’s true story is a perfect way to introduce Chinese American history to a younger generation. This true story of Tyrus Wong’s journey to America to become a noted Asian American artist is one that will inspire any young reader to aspire to follow their dream path in spite of hardships on the way. It illustrates the vital contributions immigrants have made and continue to make to art and culture in America.

PALO ALTO PLAYERS

It was a delightful way to spend the first cold winter’s night to get into the Christmas spirit. I went to see Palo Alto Players funny A CHRISTMAS STORY which was jam packed with enthusiastic young performers on stage. This is the old familiar story of bespectacled Ralphie who dreams of receiving the Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle for Christmas and the fun and frolic times he had with his family and school bully before Christmas. The audience loved the innocence of the Ralphie times and especially, the exuberance of the many young people on stage in this traditional Christmas production. Palo Alto Players 2020 schedule sounds like a winner again as one of the best theater production companies in the area. Coming in January is A DOLL HOUSE while their April production will be MATILDA THE MUSICAL. AN ACT OF GOD will close the 2020 season in June. A nice community gesture the Palo Alto Players group does at each show is recognize a non-profit organization, asking the audience to show their appreciation for the performance by making donations to this non-profit partner in boxes held in the lobby by staffers as people leave the theater.

IN RECOGNITION

Recently opened in honor of noted Chinese American historian and author IRIS CHANG is the IRIS CHANG PARK located in North San Jose, near where she once resided. The park, named after Chang was approved in 2015 by the San Jose City Council and a stone memorial was designed by San Francisco sculptor Richard Deutsch with the central theme based on Iris’s own motto, “The Power of One.”

CAPTION: IRIS CHANG PARK IN SAN JOSE

The 2.6 acre park near Montague Expressway and Seely Avenue honors Chang, author of 1997 book “the Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II” who died in 2004. Her parents Ying-Ying and Shau-Jing Chang led the campaign to have this park dedication assisted by then San Jose Councilman Kansen Chu. They brought in over 200 signatures which convinced the Council to approve this memorial park naming.

As one of the most noted contemporary writers of her time of Chinese American history, it is a fitting gesture for the City of San Jose to honor the memory of its onetime citizen. Her book “The Chinese in America” will long be a fitting journal of our proud contributions to American history. The November grand opening was on the 15^th anniversary of her untimely death.

CAPTION: IRIS CHANG

GIVING THANKS

In the spirit of this Thanksgiving season, I must end this column with my own personal reason for being particularly thankful this year. Our family recently celebrated the 90^th birthday of our Wong patriarch, Calvin. We are thankful for his years of being a caring son, husband, father, grandfather and friend. His friends are thankful for his gardening talents, and especially his hundreds of homegrown persimmons he shares with them every harvest.