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Virtual/In-Person Asian Heritage Month Festival 2022

Monday May 30, 2022 | Doors Open 6 PM EDT, Event starts 7 PM EDT| In-Person
“Chinatown | Alice Ho’s new opera and the Chinese Canadian Archive at Toronto Public Library”
Toronto Public Library: Toronto Reference Library
Co-presented with Toronto Public Library
This opera is significant, as it is the first-ever Hoisanese opera. Hoisanese is the dialect predominantly spoken by Chinese Railroad workers.
Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI
Artists:
Presenter: Alice Ho, Madeleine Thien, Paul Yee, Arlene Chan

FREE ADMISSION: Please register at Toronto Public Library Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/chinatown-an-opera-performance-tickets-324115727867
Event Poster with bios

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBTWPG-drBQ

Scenes from the Chinatown Operaby the Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto:Peter Lau, Ken Pau, and Shelley Chin

Opening Remarks:
Vickery Bowles, City Librarian, Toronto Public Library

Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI

The Chinese Canadian Archive at Toronto Public Library
Arlene Chan

The new Chinatown Opera
This opera is significant, as it is the first-ever Hoisanese opera. Hoisanese is the dialect predominantly spoken by Chinese Railroad workers.
Presenters: Librettist Madeleine Thien, Composer Alice Ping Yee Ho, Hoisanese translator Paul Yee
“CHINATOWN is a story of family and neighbourhood, racism and resistance, history and tomorrow. In two acts and two hours it examines six characters, two families, and a chorus of male ghosts, from the building of the CPR through to our own times. It deals with violence and despair, the Head Tax, the Exclusion Act, paper sons, and paper promise.
It is a Western opera, but incorporates Chinese themes, sounds and sensibilities. And it is a love story.
The inspiration for CHINATOWN lies in our history, a great neighbourhood and its people, and its resistance against racism – both historical, and resurgent today.
Please join us, and bring the people you love.” City Opera Vancouver https://cityoperavancouver.com/"
The opera will be premiered in September 2022 in Vancouver by composer Alice Ho generously brings a preview of this opera to Toronto.
1. Hoisan Aria : Erica Iris Huang , mezzo soprano (erhu, percussion, piano)
2. Eugene’s Aria: Derek Kwan, tenor (piano)
3. Wenli’s Aria: Vania Chan, coloratura soprano (erhu, piano)
4. Anna & Eugene’s Duet: Vania Chan & Derek Kwan (piano)
5. Sisters’ Duet: Vania Chan & Erica Huang (erhu, piano, maybe a bit of percussion)

Event Details from Toronto Public Library:

An exclusive performance of musical excerpts from the new opera, Chinatown, on-stage and in-person in the Appel Salon.
Join us for an exclusive performance of musical excerpts from Chinatown, a new opera by librettist Madeleine Thien and composer Alice Ping Yee Ho, with Hoisanese co-writer Paul Yee. Featuring an introduction by curator and historian Arlene Chan.

This new opera is a story of family and neighbourhood, racism and resistance, history and tomorrow. It examines six characters, two families, and a chorus of male ghosts, from the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway to our own times. It deals with violence and despair, the Head Tax, the Chinese Exclusion Act, paper sons, and paper promise. It is a Western opera, but incorporates Chinese themes, sounds and sensibilities. And it is a love story.

The inspiration for Chinatown lies in Canada's history, a great neighbourhood and its people, and its resistance against racism — both historical, and resurgent today. Chinatown will be given its world premiere by City Opera Vancouver in September 2022, at The Vancouver Playhouse.

Note: This is an in-person event at the Appel Salon, Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge Street). This event will not-be live streamed but will be made available for later rewatching on TPL’s Youtube channel.

Check here for the latest COVID-19 health and safety policies at Toronto Public Library. This information is subject to change. Please check back for the most up-to-date information before attending the event. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Please don't print your tickets! We're trying to reduce paper waste for Appel Salon events, so please don't bother printing your ticket. We'll either scan your ticket on your smartphone or quickly find your name on our tablets and check you in. Arrive early, meet people. The show starts at 7 pm, but doors open at 6 pm. Come early so you can chat with your fellow culture lovers, and make new friends. As with all Appel Salon events, we'll have a cash bar with a selection of beer, wine, and liquor, as well as sandwiches and snacks. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Read More:
TPL's Chinese Canadian Archive
Asian Heritage Month - CFACI
City Opera Vancouver
Madeleine Thien, librettist and novelist
Alice Ping Yee Ho, composer and pianist
Paul Yee, historian and Hoisan translator
Arlene Chan, historian and curator
Vania Chan, soprano
Erica Iris Huang, mezzo soprano
Derek Kwan, tenor
Bobby Ho, percussion
Amely Zhou, erhu

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Tuesday May 31, 2022 | 1 PM EDT | In-Person
“A Moveable Asian Feast"
Toronto Public Library: City Hall Library
Co-presented with Toronto Public Library
With corresponding Asian Heritage Month Art and Photo Exhibition on Food Themes from May 23rd to June 6th organized by Tam Kam Chiu and Dr Lien Chao

May 31th Food Talk:
Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI
Presenters: Professor Chef Leo Chan
Hana Kim, Director, Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto, and President, Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL

FREE ADMISSION: Please register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/professor-chef-leo-chan-and-ms-hana-kim-present-a-moveable-asian-feast-tickets-326692154027
Event Poster with bios

Photo by Ms. Sandy Li, Branch Head, City Hall Branch, Toronto Public Library

Professor Chef Leo Chan and Ms. Hana Kim will take you on a culinary memory journey through Toronto's Chinatowns, the growing Asian food experience, and pays tribute to six individuals from the turn of the last century to the successive waves of Asian immigrations in the 1960s.

The title is inspired by Ernest Hemingway's book "A Moveable Feast". It is the memoir of his younger self as an unknown writers living in Paris in the twenties. He recalled his friends and his happy time during the "Lost Generation". The talk will take the participants on an memory journey through Toronto's Chinatowns, the growing Asian food experience, and pays tribute to six individuals of our "Lost Generation" from the turn of the last century to the successive waves of Asian immigrations in the 1960s.

The six incredible individuals are: Lee Sew and Wong Dong Wong, two Chinese men who had worked as house cooks with prominent non-Chinese families in Toronto; and four women who had been associated with early Chinese restaurants. Agnes Lor operated the New York Restaurant in Brockville; Victoria Yip was a part owner of the Peerless Restaurant on Yonge Street; Jean Lumb was with the Kwong Chow Restaurant and Cathy Chin was the first Chinese female Executive Chef of a major Chinese restaurant, Sai Woo in Chinatown.

Bios of Professor Chef Leo Chan http://www.vmacch.ca/beta/leo_chan.html

Leo Chan enjoys sharing his stories and first-hand experiences as a speaker and Chinatown tour guide. He spent over 30 years in the culinary world, most notably as the Director of Operations for the Mandarin Restaurant Franchise Corporation and Professor Chef at George Brown College and Humber College. The recipient of numerous awards from the hospitality industry, Leo has appeared on CFTO, TVO, CITY-TV, and OMNI.

Born in Macau and raised in Hong Kong, Leo came to Canada in 1966 and is a graduate of Political Science (York University), Hotel, Restaurant and Resort Management (Ryerson University), and the Cornell School of Hospitality (Cornell University, New York). He is Chairman of the Chin Wing Chun Tong of Ontario (Chan Family Association), a member of the 8 Precious Pearls Research Group of Chinese food history in Toronto, and Co-Founder of the Cambridge Food and Wine Society of Canada.

Hana Kim is the Director of the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library at the University of Toronto. Previously, she was the Head of the Asian Library at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

She has published and presented on a wide range of topics, including Asian Canadian heritage, diversity, and East Asian studies librarianship. In 2009, in collaboration with the UBC, she launched a nationwide Korean Canadian Heritage Archives Project. She is the recipient of the 2018 Korean Canadian Heritage Award. She served as the President of Council on East Asian Libraries for the Association for Asian Studies.

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

Sunday, June 19, 2022 | 2 PM - 3:15 PM EDT
“MAY DAYS: Poems and Oil Paintings of the ORDINARY and the EVERYDAY"
Poetry by Patria Rivera
Paintings by Joe Rivera

Live-streaming, virtual presentation with Q & A
Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI (tbc)
Presenters: poet Patria Rivera and painter Joe Rivera
FREE ADMISSION: Please register on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/may-days-poems-and-oil-paintings-of-the-ordinary-and-the-everyday-tickets-363198475417
Please access event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84192086983?pwd=WllhZ1RVTnA1TE5JZ1lyZFFqWDRWUT09
Event Poster

This joint project will present 10 oil paintings by Joe Rivera and 31 poems by Patria Rivera under the title of “May Days.” While the paintings vividly depicted the “Ordinary” neighbours with a slice of their “Everyday” life, the poems are not versed in their everyday tongues.

Sophisticated, award-winning poet, Patria introduces the readers to Miroslav Holub (pronounced [mɪrɔslaf ɦɔlʊp]; (13 September 1923 – 14 July 1998), an important Czech poet. Patria acknowledges the syntax of her new poems derived directly from the Czech poet’s scientific analysis as an immunologist:

“In his book, The Dimension of the Present Moment (1990), Miroslav Holub posited that the dimension of the present moment—about three seconds—is roughly the same amount of time it takes to speak a line of poetry.”

Patria decided to use “Holub’s three-second parameter as the length of the poetic line for the musings and observations of moments in the everyday.”

At first sight of the Patria’s experimental poetry, the readers feel immediately challenged. Traditional syntactics are not followed here; subjects and objects are dissected, while actions and events were described, analyzed, or imagined through the poet’s eye via meditative monologues. However, elements of everyday life continue to flash and spark through dreams, images and symbols via many three-second moments of her 31 poems set in the month of May.

Please join us on Sunday, June 19, at 2:00pm for the virtual, live-streaming presentation by the two artists. There will Q & A for the participants to share your comments.

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Societye
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
“From the Eagle’s Eyes”
Live-streaming, virtual presentation with Q & A
Presenters: Artist Sharon Cook and Poet Lien Chao

Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI (tbc)
FREE ADMISSION: Please register on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/from-the-eagles-eyes-landscape-painting-and-bilingual-poetry-tickets-363207041037
Please access event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82572017286?pwd=OGVMQ0tVSHJlMzhYY25hUnY2bGU5UT09
Event Poster

Landscape paintings in classical Chinese Brush Painting style; bilingual poetry in English and Chinese; original music for piano composed and performed with digital interpretation.

Created by two inter-art artists, Sharon Cook and Lien Chao; digital interpretation by Patrick Haynes.

This new multi-media art project presents a wider inter-disciplinary exploration of traditional, classical art forms, including Chinese brush painting, bilingual poetry, original music for piano, and landscape photography. The intermingling process of the art forms has produced a series of contemporary, experimental, artistic fusions.

All fusions resulted from inter-art blending, leading the artists and hopefully, the audience, to discover new metaphysical spaces, while boundaries of traditional art forms have been crossed. Philosophical and conceptual exploration coincides with the artistic exploration and hence, the fusions.

Please join us on Sunday, June 26, at 2:00pm for the visual, audio, poetic, and digital interactive production, which will be followed by Q & A.

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
“Timeless Ancient Wisdom and Inherited Brush Strokes: A Creative Process Shared between the Artist and the Audience”
Opening Remarks: Mr. Justin Poy, Honorary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI (tbc)
Artists:
Presenter: Henry Ho: Award-winning visual artist, Taiji calligrapher, videographer

FREE ADMISSION: Please register at ___
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81574305784?pwd=M0lzNm5iNXRBd1cvTjB6UTBYOVZHUT0 Event Poster with bios

An intertwined multimedia performance of ancient Chinese philosophy of Taichi, historical development of brushstrokes in Chinese calligraphy, via the means of contemporary digital videography. Multitalented artist Henry Ho will share his spiritual and artistic pursuits in this solo, engaging presentation with the audience.

May - June 2022
Unity in Diversity Artist Workshops in Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board
FREE ADMISSION for Schools only

Co-Organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; York Centre for Asian Research, York University; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; York University; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; WE Artists' Group; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund

List of Supporters of Asian Heritage Month

Main Partner: Toronto Public Library

Canadian Heritage Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program
Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund
Toronto Arts Council Digital Communities Fund

Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto
Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture
Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto
Chi Ping Dance Group
Chinese Canadian Photographic Association of Toronto
Chinese Collective Arts Association
City of Toronto
Justin Poy Agency
Moon Pointer Production Inc.
Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Reel Asian Film Festival
ReelWorld Film Festival
Richard Charles Lee Canada-Hong Kong Library
Toronto Arts Council Toronto Catholic District School Board
Toronto District School Board
Toronto Public Library
WE Artists Association
York Centre for Asian Research, York University
York Centre for Education and Community, York University
York Region District School Board

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