Silicon Valley Arts Spotlight: Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra

This month, Arts Action 21 is pleased to spotlight the Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra, an educational and performing arts organization featuring young musicians based in the San Francisco Bay Area.  The Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra, also known as FYCO, will be performing at this year's celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month on Sunday, October 16 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.

Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra promotes Chinese music as an integral part of Chinese-American culture by training young musicians to play traditional instruments.  Through music, FYCO creates opportunities for students to learn Chinese culture, music heritage, and builds teamwork and leadership skills.  Students’ repertoire includes Chinese folk songs, musical storytelling (Quyi), regional operas (Xiqu), and religious music. 

Led by Chinese music educator and Artistic Director Gordon Lee, Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra has over 130 student musicians that comprise three groups of Beginner, Junior, and Senior skill levels.  Most of the students are American-born Chinese youth, ranging from 7 to 18 years of age. 

Georgia Lu is FYCO's General Manager, and her son Michael started playing with the orchestra when he was 6 years old.  He is now 14, and plays in the Senior group.  Regarding her son’s experience, Ms. Lu remarked:

“Our son has learned about the Chinese culture and history through the music.  The orchestra teaches them teamwork, and you feel fulfilled and excited when they all have a very good performance.”

For more information about Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra, visit http://www.fyco.org/.

Spotlight on new Arts Action 21 partner: Contemporary Asian Theater Scene

Next in our series of feature articles about Silicon Valley arts organizations is the following post about Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS).  Arts Action 21 is collaborating with CATS to present this coming October's celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month in Mountain View, CA.  Please keep reading to learn about CATS' history, mission and activities!

Contemporary Asian Theater Scene, known as CATS, was formed 15 years ago by four visionaries, who saw the potential cultural future of Silicon Valley.  They wanted to bring Asian American artists and artistic disciplines to the South Bay, recognizing that this region could support such endeavors and not look to San Francisco.  Thus, their mission for CATS was to enliven the South Bay with innovative, educational and cultural artists and art forms.

Through the years, CATS has been recognized for presenting an eclectic mix of music, comedy, drama and film.  One event that is welcomed annually is CATS’ Asian Comedy Night, an evening featuring up and coming comics of Asian descent.  CATS has had a long association with the Center for Asian American Media and has participated in the San Jose portion of the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.  CATS has been responsible for recruiting local agencies and organizations to be co-presenters of various films at the festival.

CATS has encouraged emerging artists by hosting a playwriting contest (in collaboration with Calabasas Rep), presenting play readings by local Asian American playwrights, inviting artists to perform at “CATS Talent to Go” and notifying actors of auditions and opportunities.  Another outstanding event was an afternoon with best-selling author, Lisa See.

Such groups as Ethno-Tec, Object Theater, 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors and the Grateful Crane Ensemble have been brought to the South Bay by CATS.  CATS is now looking to present various musical jazz groups as well as classical musicians.  In October, CATS will join Arts Action 21 in presenting two programs to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month.  

Recently launched is a series of films and panels under the title:  J-Town Cinema.  Films are presented at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose and at the Akiyama Wellness Center.  Also on tap is an evening at San Jose Repertory Theater where we will see the world premiere of Philip Gotanda’s play, “Love in American Times” and attend a reception with the playwright.  Please call 408-867-4525 for more information.

Look at the CATS Facebook page for any updates on what CATS is presenting.  Join us in our 15^th year of great cultural events in the South Bay!

New series of blog posts will feature Silicon Valley arts organizations, starting with Quinteto Latino

To further Arts Action 21's mission of nurturing a thriving arts community in the 21st century, this blog will periodically feature posts about the work of arts organizations and artists in the Silicon Valley region.  With this entry, we are pleased to introduce our readers to the work of Quinteto Latino, an innovative and dynamic chamber group which has served the community for ten years.

Quinteto Latino, a wind quintet specializing in the interpretation of Latin American classical and contemporary music, was founded in 2001 by French hornist and San Jose native, Armando Castellano. Since the group’s inception, the passionate artists of this unique wind quintet -- flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon -- have dedicated themselves to performing with world-class artistry in communities not traditionally served by classical musicians.

Though a musician his entire life, Armando rarely had the opportunity to perform works culturally relevant to him and his community until the formation of this unique ensemble. By championing young and lesser-known composers of Latin American and Caribbean heritage, Quinteto Latino seeks to expand the boundaries of classical music, reach new audiences, and inspire new generations of players.

The members Quinteto Latino are enthusiastic educators, and they perform in schools through the San Francisco Symphony's Adventures in Music program, using music to discuss culture and diversity. The group performs throughout the year at private events, recitals, and benefits by invitation, and are especially interested in serving the Latin community with their music. Their mission is two-fold: to expand the cultural boundaries of classical music, and to make that music available, relevant, and inspiring to entirely new audiences.

Quinteto Latino's next public event is on May 3, 2011, at Berkeley Chamber Performances.

First Arts Month event is great success!

We're celebrating the stunning success of our first Arts Action 21 event, "A Multicultural Celebration," yesterday afternoon. SecondStage at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts was filled to capacity! Unfortunately, about 25 people had to be turned away. The performers were awesome, and the energy was incredible. Mark your calendars for our next event, "Finding Home A Kaleidoscope of Musical Journeys - Piano Concert", on Sunday, October 17 at 2:00 pm at the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA)!

Please visit the Events Page at Arts Action 21 for details.

A Multicultural Celebration

The first event in our "Sunday Arts Live" series is this Sunday, October 3. Please come to "A Multicultural Celebration" at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 1:30 pm, for our special program of culturally diverse artists and art forms, featuring African drumming, Mexican folkloric dance and more!

The show features Oriki Theatre (African drums), Kaisahan (Filipino dance), Steve Lin (classical guitar), Grupo Folklorico Los Laureles (Mexican folkloric dance), Halau Na Wai Ola (Hawaiian dance), and films produced by Freestyle Academy students.

The event takes place at the Center's SecondStage and admission is FREE. However, there is limited seating available. Please come early for the best seats.

Celebrate Arts Month 2010 and Win Prizes

Once again, an event celebrating the arts that will take place in Mountain View, California. During the month of October 2010, Arts Action 21, the City of Mountain View's Performing Arts Committee and the Community School of Music and Arts will present "Sunday Arts Live" -- a new performance series celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month. The first event will be "A Multicultural Celebration" on October 3; and the second event will be "Finding Home: A Kaleidoscope of Musical Journeys". More information about these events is available at: Arts Action 21.

In addition, there will be a free random drawing for prizes worth several hundred dollars, which will be awarded on October 17th. In order to enter the contest, you need to fill out an "Arts Challenge" entry form, and return it by October 16, 2010. Entries are being accepted online at: ArtsChallenge2010 Survey.

Most of the prizes are provided by local, Silicon Valley organizations. So even though the entry is free, the giveaway is really geared toward people who will be able to attend events and participate in activities in the area. The following organizations will be giving away prizes:

• The Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View.
• The Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.
• The horn quartet QUADRE.
• Art-n-Fun of Los Altos.
• The Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose.
• The Peninsula Youth Theatre.
• The Tech Museum in San Jose.

Hard copies of the forms can also be dropped off at the Mountain View library, which is located at 585 Franklin Street, Mountain View, California.

Good luck to all entrants!

What is This All About?

Since 1993, hundreds of organizations throughout the United States have celebrated October as National Arts and Humanities Month (“NAHM”). The event is now the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation, and has encouraged millions of Americans to renew or begin a lifelong habit of active participation in these disciplines.

This year, representatives from the City of Mountain View’s Performing Arts Committee and Visual Arts Committee, the Community School of Music and Arts, the Central Business Association and other organizations have formed a planning committee to launch a local celebration of NAHM in Mountain View, California. The purposes of the planning committee's activities are

• to increase awareness of the importance of the arts in Mountain View, and
• to lay the groundwork for an annual celebration of NAHM in Mountain View.

The committee is organizing an Arts Challenge in which community members will be asked to complete a fill-in-the-blank letter, describing ways in which they appreciated and/or created art in Mountain View in October 2010. The "blank" letter will be available to download from this blog and the websites of local organizations; and hard copies will be available to pick up from the Mountain View Public Library and other central locations. Individuals who submit completed letters (at the Mountain View Public Library or by mail) will qualify for a random drawing for prizes.

Stay tuned!