By Peter Kelley
For Northwest Asian Weekly

Gabriel Manalac at work in a tiny room at the top of Denny Hall. He plays the carillon three mornings a week for about 10 minutes. The sheet music shows that he's playing the Beatles' Yesterday, which Robin McCabe, his instructor and the School of Music's former director, also played on the UW's carillon when she was an undergraduate. (Photo by Mary Levin/University Week)

Resonant, bell-like tones from Denny Hall sound the Westminster Chimes and mark the hours each day. But — have you heard? — three mornings a week, those magnificent chimes play music, too. Read the full story

By Vivian Miezianko
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Apart from opera singing, what does Yu Seok Oh, a 30-year-old, Korean-born baritone based in Shoreline, have in common with renowned opera singers Renée Fleming, Ben Heppner, and Hei-Kyung Hong?

Fleming, Heppner, and Hong were participants in the Metropolitan Opera National Council (MONC) auditions in the 1980s. Oh also participated and won at the MONC Western Washington & Alaska District Auditions last October and is going to sing at the MONC Northwest Regional Auditions on Feb. 7 at Meany Hall.

MONC auditions

The Metropolitan Opera (the Met) in New York City began an auditions program for young singers in 1935. In 1952, the MONC was formed by a group of opera devotees from around the country to support the Met through financial contributions and volunteer work, according to the MONC auditions handout. The goal in having the council organize and establish regional auditions was to make the auditions a nationwide event.

Yu Seok Oh (Photo by Vivian Miezianko/NWAW)

Participants are to be identified in the district competition, compete in the regional auditions, and go on to the national semifinals in New York. Ten finalists are selected for the National Grand Finals Concert.

The baritone Yu Seok Oh

Yu Seok Oh was born in Seoul. Being the youngest of six children, Oh credited his late father for encouraging him to pursue what he liked. Neither his parents nor any of his five older sisters were musicians. Oh liked rock music when he was younger.

When he was 10 years old, he was inspired by a teacher at school. He was also inspired by opera singers in Italy, especially the late Franco Corelli and Mario del Monaco. Oh started taking voice lessons and studying music seriously. He went on to become a voice major in college, where he met a teacher, Professor Yohan Kim, who inspired Oh to overcome some vocal problems. Oh completed his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.

At the age of 24, Oh decided to further his voice study in Italy.

Speaking through his niece and translator, Lisa, Oh smiled, recalling, “In Italy, the teachers were strict and anxious about everything. Sometimes they screamed, sometimes they made students cry, sometimes they slapped students.” Oh, nevertheless, was not distressed by his professors. He had good relationships with them, and they liked him — as he was always smiling.

He picked Italy because “opera comes from Italy.”

Not only did Oh learn much at the conservatory, he acquired valuable onstage experience as well. He had the opportunity to sing in opera productions in Rome and other cities during his four-year stint there. He was once invited to perform at a city hall, and Koreans in the area went to support him. They were all very proud of Oh and saw him as a representative for Koreans. Oh also won awards in singing competitions in Italy.

Oh came to the United States in September 2008. He is currently dividing his time between the United States, Italy, and Korea. He performs, coaches, takes lessons from his current voice teacher Erich Parce, and takes care of his 3-year-old daughter. Whether he’s studying in Italy or leading a new life in the United States, Oh, like many immigrants arriving at their destinations, experienced culture shock and faced problems with the new language, people, and environments. But he strives to adapt to his new life here.

As for what his dream is, Oh said, “I’ve been here for over a year now. America has all kinds of music performances. I want to study a lot of things, especially music, and have a lot of experiences here.”
Besides being one of the winners at the Western Washington & Alaska District competition, Oh won the Audience Favorite Award. “I was lucky,” said Oh, modestly. “It was my first competition in America.”

Oh was not nervous about the upcoming regional auditions. He wants to serve as an inspiration to others. “I’ve met a lot of good teachers. I want to inspire other Asians to participate. In Italy, I knew of people being discriminated against because of their skin color. I hope those people can be inspired by me. Lots of Asians are good at singing.” (end)

The MONC Northwest Regional Auditions will be held at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus on Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.nwauditions.com.

Vivian Miezianko can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

By Ryan Pangilinan
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Like many Asian Americans, Edwaard Liang spent a part of his youth dabbling in various performing arts, whether it was playing the violin or being involved with martial arts. Yet, it was dance that has allowed him to build a respectable career as one of the most critically acclaimed ballet dancers and choreographers in the world.

“Basically, my parents and my sister [contributed to my career] — they were the ones who opened me to ballet,” recalled Liang.

Read the full story

By Steven Cong
Northwest Asian Weekly

The Tacoma Youth Symphony rehearses at the Broadway Plaza in Tacoma on Jan. 9. Conducting the orchestra, composed of many Asian Americans, is Dale Johnson. (Photo by Steven Cong/NWAW)

“Asians are extremely hard workers in school and in orchestra,” said Jonathan Wu, a Chinese American co-concertmaster at the Tacoma Youth Symphony. Read the full story

By Natasha Jacob
For Northwest Asian Weekly

Seattle Symphony associate conductor Carolyn Kuan shows intensity as she leads her orchestra in a rehearsal. She will conduct part of Celebrate Asia!, a concert event, on Jan. 22. (Photo by R.R. Jones)

Read the full story

Japanese American singer-songwriter Marie Digby performs in Seattle at the Triple Door on Dec. 8. She recently released her sophomore album, “Breathing Underwater.” (Photo by Vivian Nguyen/NWAW)

By Vivian Nguyen
Northwest Asian Weekly

For singer-songwriter Marié Digby, each of her songs tells a story about her life. While on tour this past week at the Triple Door to promote her second album, “Breathing Underwater,” Digby explained to the audience that she prefers songwriting when she feels inspired or emotional about an event.

“Songwriting is like journaling — I find writing songs very cathartic,” said Digby to the crowd. “Music has always been very natural for me.”

But pursuing a career in music was not Digby’s original goal. A few years ago, when she started studying at the University of California, Berkeley, Digby planned to study philosophy in preparation for law school. Although Digby grew up with a background in music, she never considered it as a career. But after a few months at school, it became apparent that she had an undeniable passion for creating and performing music. Read the full story

Thai Nguyen (Photo provided by BravoTV.com)

By Vivian Luu
Northwest Asian Weekly

If he had listened to his parents, fashion designer Thai Nguyen would have become an accountant.

Instead of crunching numbers, Nguyen spends his days creating couture at Thai Nguyen Couture in Orange County. From evening gowns and bridal gowns to ready-to-wear lines, he immerses himself in each step of the process.

Sketching new pieces, picking fabrics, fitting his models, and selling couture is nothing new to this up-and-coming designer.

What’s new is Nguyen’s role as a fashion expert in “Launch My Line,” a series that premiered on Bravo TV Dec. 2. Serving as an adviser to fashion critic Merle Ginsberg, the duo designed pieces of couture in hopes of winning a deal to launch Ginsberg’s clothing line.

Nguyen says he was very lucky to have been paired with Ginsberg because they have similar tastes in style.

“The first instance we met each other, we knew what we wanted to do,” he said. “What I want and what she wants is one idea. I finish her sentences. That’s how compatible we were.”

The show was as real as reality TV gets, Nguyen added. He loved every second of it — even the stressful parts. Read the full story

By Katie Schmidt
For Northwest Asian Weekly

The book “Jin Yan: The Rudolph Valentino of Shanghai” about Chinese silent film was written by Seattle University Lecturer Richard Meyer and published in March 2009.

Chinese silent films provides a window into history and a reflection of social issues of the time, says Seattle author Richard Meyer, who spoke about his new book, “Jin Yan: The Rudolph Valentino of Shanghai,” at the University Bookstore on Oct. 21.

Meyer spoke as part of the bookstore’s Reading Allowed program, which invites authors to visit and talk about recently released books at the University District store.

“We wanted to share Richard’s unique work with the public,” said UW Bookstore Events Associate Danielle Kish in an e-mail.

Meyer, who teaches film at Seattle University, said that, as a handsome Korean immigrant and movie star, Jin Yan had an interesting life story and an impressive stage presence. Meyer said Jin was able to work in Chinese films because he picked up the language quickly. Read the full story

By Ryan Pangilinan
Northwest Asian Weekly

Jennifer Paz

“I pretty much got my education in theater, on the road, on that tour in each city. … I kind of went to the University of [Miss] Saigon,” actress Jennifer Paz said laughingly.

Philippine-born, Paz moved to Renton at a young age with her family. She got her start in 1992 as the lead in “Miss Saigon,” a role immortalized by Lea Solanga.

Currently, Paz is taking on the role of the Narrator in the 5th Avenue Theatre’s production of Andrew Lloyd  Webber and Tim Rice’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which runs from Oct. 10 to Nov. 1. Read the full story

By Vivian Nguyen
Northwest Asian Weekly

COBU photo by Christopher Nelson

Morning rainfalls and cold weather couldn’t keep people away from the 39th annual Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival at Seattle Center this past Labor Day weekend, which was held on Sept. 5 through Sept. 7. The festival drew thousands of people over the course of three days, all whom poured onto the grounds for local and national music, arts, and comedy acts.

One of the main headlining performing arts acts this year was COBU, a Japanese dance performance group from New York City.

In English, COBU means to dance like drumming, drum like dancing. This serves as the ensemble’s motto and performance mantra. Conceived as a live rhythm performing arts group in 2000, the group was founded by its current artistic director and choreographer, Yako Miyamoto. Read the full story

Jo Koy (Joseph Glenn Herbert). (Photo provided by Jo Koy)

By Leslie Yeh
Northwest Asian Weekly

Tacoma-born comedian Jo Koy (Joseph Glenn Herbert) is used to hearing the sound of laughter. With a natural charisma and a lively stage persona, the Filipino American is a well-known face in the world of stand-up.

On Sept. 25, Koy will unleash a brand new set at The Moore Theater in Seattle, which he guarantees will excite fans. “It’s all new stuff, it touches base on everything … new stories about my son, my mom, and just stuff I’ve experienced on the road,” he said.

The entertainer’s dream of becoming a comedian started when he was a 9-year-old kid watching comedy on television. “When I first saw Eddie Murphy,” he said, “I was like ‘Oh, I got to be him!’” Read the full story

Members of Epik High, MYK, and Map the Soul Band pose for fan photos before their recent show at King Cat Theater in Seattle’s Belltown. Photo by Caroline Li.

By Caroline Li
Northwest Asian Weekly

I saw a line wrapping around the block awaiting the arrival of Epik High on a Saturday night at the King Cat Theater in Belltown. The Korean pop stars posed for photos outside the venue before performing to the sold out crowd.

Read the full story