Diana Ding & Dennis Nahat on Commemorating the third anniversary of the passing of Bay Area art promoter Ann Woo
The end of August 2020 marks the third anniversary of the untimely death of well-known art promoter in the Bay Area, Ann Woo. She loved art all her life and spared no effort to promote multicultural and artistic exchanges in the United States and abroad. She provided artists with a stage to showcase their talents and integrated different national cultures into the mainstream. Her efforts throughout her life helped educated people in her communities of the many facets in the arts and at the same time launched many careers of artists internationally.
After her death, a group of artists, long time friends, associates and husband John Chu together established the International Performance Arts of America (IPAA), which has held the International Performing Arts Festival each year since Ann’s death. While remembering Ann Woo, IPAA has provided a stage for exchange between artists of all ethnic groups. Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the 3rd International Performing Arts Festival must be postponed.
IPAA and DingDing TV jointly organized an online commemorative meeting:
August 29, 2020 from 2:00-3:00pm.
world that have had such a tremendous history and impact on us all both past and present. Her life and career
was varied, from creating new works, to founding new organizations headquartered the Silicon Valley.
Ann’s vision and projections throughout her leadership in her community along with her company of performers brought together dozens of the creative and performing arts organizations in San Jose and the greater Silicon Valley Bay Area. With some of the most ambitious collaborative programming anywhere, her work continues today at full steam as a testament to the greater need of arts and education in our communities. She fostered and cultivated an international center in the heart of the Silicon Valley that few can rival anywhere in the United States. Her drive to create an all-inclusive comprehensive umbrella for the arts has been her driving force.The list of accomplishments by Ann Woo is tremendous. She helped to create a better educational and accessible
information system for children and students in every community throughout the world, using her electronic
engineering background.
She stood by her political believes and high standards in life and separated politics from her everyday living as a
righteous, giving human being – and she separated them brilliantly.
to make them into a beautiful necklace. Ann was a precious gemstone, a craftswomen silently threading us all
together.
Ann strived to inspire everyone to learn more about her Chinese culture, history, and its contribution to
world civilization in ancient and contemporary times. During the process, she hoped they would be inspired to
learn more about their own culture and history as well. And no one wanted to know more about others then Ann
Woo. I told her once that, because of her beliefs she should be president of the United States. She said, “Ah, go on
– it’s natural to think that – isn’t it?
2002 – established CPAA Arts Center
2003 – resigned from her High-tech engineering job took her financial wealth and invested it all into creating a multi culture multi discipline school and arts center.
2008 – moved her facility from Valco Center to a new 14,000 square foot facility
2014 – established 5 youth groups, orchestral, choir, After school, Cirque San Jose, and invited me to establish a new ballet School which by that time inhabited 10 studios and a 35’ x 30’ stage.
together at CPAA including Opera, Music, Indian Dance, Shaolin, Kung Fu, Children’s Choir, Orchestra, Piano
Ballet and Chinese Classical Dance to name a few!
Found CPAA.
At every moment in her life, Ann’s mind was in full focus.
Organizing team:
John Chu, Husband to Ann Woo
Andy Jian, President of IPAA
Dennis Nahat, Director of International Performing Arts Festival
Yang Yang, Executive Director of IPAA
Diana Ding, President of Ding Ding TV, Silicon Valley Innovation Channel
Sandy Wang, COO, Ding Ding TV, Silicon Valley Innovation Channel