"That Asian Thing" Talent Showcase

Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of All Ages - now introducing a spectacular event you don't want to miss out on. A one time show featuring an array of talent. A gala of artists performing on one mainstage for a night to remember. The one and only....

"That Asian Thing" Talent Showcase

Working with Mr. Glenn Bermejo of IBU, "That Asian Thing" will put on a show of the artists that have been interviewed. Target Date and Location will be solidified in weeks to come. Please keep an eye open and pass on the good word....

A thought to think about:

-we're currently working on getting more artists to share their thoughts on Asian Americans peeking through the door of mainstream America. For this blog post, we will feature one artist who we've been in contact with.

Ms. Czerina Salud - an aspiring opera singer who has shared her thoughts about American born, Asian decent classical performers. Here's an excerpt from an email speaking of "old money" and how it effects her realm of the arts. Please read through it and think about what she's saying. Check it out:

"Where is the representation of the American born, Asian decent singer?

The one who would walk into a concert hall with an unromanticzed version of what the American operatic institution is about.

The one who knows that most opera in this country is funded by old money and that most old money in this country was made off the backs of exploited immigrant workers (much like their family or ancestors) & slaves.

The one who also has the knowledge that the humanistic values of brotherhood, love & inclusion that many of these operatic composers were trying to explore in their work is, sadly, only available to those who can afford that $100 ticket to the opera. (An idea that may turn them off of opera all together.)

The one who met with resistance from their parents because they needed to pursue a “real” education – not music – if they wanted to survive in the classist and racist climate their parents understood America to be.

The one caught between two worlds & two different value systems, which only enforced how every independent thought or action they ever had failed to live up to the standards of either world.

THAT Asian person is the representation we have very little of in opera – at least not to my knowledge.

And why is that relevant?

Because if the old money with its old prejudices are still in charge of the institution then what does that make its “exotic” little underlings? Is it just enough that we are there or does it also matter that we are regarded as equals? Does it “mean” something when there is a dearth of Asian singers in the opera that may actually have criticisms about how the whole institution is set up because they grew up right along side it?

Maybe Asian-Americans in my generation are just not widely interested in the opera. I rarely meet any people in my age group of ANY race that are. And I do see a lot of Asian-Americans my age gravitate toward more contemporary expressions (like hip hop). But if I were a student of art & social change, the opera is EXACTLY where I’d be looking. It’s one of the oldest institutions in the country & has evolved from being an expression that was once accessible to everyone in its indigenous community to being considered an elitist trapping. I see the future of hip hop barreling toward the same future. As that genre of music becomes more and more commercially successful it seems to get farther and farther away from its original expression (which I’ve always understood to be a voice of triumph for the powerless in society – hmmm, much like the message found in many opera story lines.)

Now, all this aside, I don’t think the situation is completely hopeless. As I am student of my discipline I am, of course, influenced by its teachings. And one thing my voice teacher taught me was that in the operatic repertoire, even in the saddest song, there is always hope. And hope is what I am always rediscovering again and again in this music. Though the institution itself may fall short of representing all the ideals the music brings us – the music is what endures. It’s lasted this long for a reason and has managed to reach across boundaries of race and class and religion and sexual orientation and political affiliation throughout centuries of human progress. How can you not find hope in that?"

----Thank you Czerina! We look forward to getting your thoughts on film.

-More to come people! Also - look out for our website to be established soon. WOO HOO!!