This year’s gala takes place Oct. 16 and will honor musicians who have inspired their students and brought their craft to the masses. This special issue of Northwest Asian Weekly tells their stories, from their influences to how their talents developed to their greatest triumphs.

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There is a certain kind of magic when conductor Marcus Tsutakawa lifts his baton to lead Garfield High School’s orchestras.

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Sharad Gadre
Sharad Gadre

In 1200 AD, Indian classical music started to formalize into a school of culture. In the 21st century, Sharad Gadre has been taking it one step ahead: into the cyber world.

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Music has always been a way for Ngo Thuy Mien to express himself and share his emotions with those he loves.

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As a jazz pianist for more than 40 years, Deems Tsutakawa has created an original, distinctive sound known by many jazz fans.

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Angelo Pizarro (Photo by Kevin Fry)
Angelo Pizarro (Photo by Kevin Fry)

Whenever he strikes the first note or chord on the acoustic guitar, Angelo Pizarro hopes it creates a “nice tone” for his audiences to enjoy. And once he starts playing, his passion for what he calls “a mixture of what I like” — an improvisational blend of traditional Filipino–Spanish music with jazz and pop — is made very clear after he performs for several hours without taking any breaks.

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Dieter Cui may reside in Seattle, but he is a world traveler when it comes to performing and teaching opera music. In addition to being a top performer in Chinese and Western opera, Cui — whose Chinese first name is Zong Shun — contributes to the community through his nonprofit organization, the Seattle PhiloVoce Association. Cui has also taught hundreds of students in Seattle.

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Warren Chang and Buyun Zhao, a husband and wife duo, have introduced the Chinese genre of music to the Seattle community over the last two decades. They founded the first organization dedicated to Chinese music in Washington state.

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For 30 years, the Korean Music Association (KMA) — formerly the Korean American Musicians Association of Washington — has been offering free concerts in Seattle, attracting more than 1,000 audiences each year. Two of its founding members, sopranos Young Hee Kim and Kyung-Ah Oh, are still singing and taking part in community events.

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While there are only 88 keys on a piano, its rich sounds can conjure up an infinite number of emotions within a listener. Although many Asian/Pacific Islander (API) parents dream that their child would become a classical prodigy, that notion seldom comes into fruition aside from a recital or three.

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