Wayson Choy came back to Vancouver to read from his upcoming book, "Not Yet a memoir of living and almost dying," Wayson is famous for his first novel "Jade Peony" and its' subsequent prequel "All That Matters"which was nominated for a Giller Prize..... On Tuesday night, Wayson talked about his second heart attack, and his conversations with ghosts.   more »

Soprano Heather Pawsey and pianist Rachel Iwassa pose with Todd Wong after a successful "Dead Serious" concert - photo Tim Pawsey

Ever attended a concert at a funeral home?  Or how about the Vancouver Crematorium?

In the latest venue for the New Music in New Places, opera soprano Heather Pawsey brought the theme of death and dying out into the open.  No bagpipes playing Amazing Grace.  But pianist Rachel Iwasaa accompanied Pawsey, as did flautist Kathryn Cernauskas.

It was a very interesting evening, full of surprises.  Guests first met at the Hamilton-Harron Funeral Home at Fraser St. and 38th Ave.  We then walked up Fraser St. across from the Mountain View cemetary, to 41st Ave.  It was a chilly evening, as we crossed Fraser, and made our way to the Vancouver Memorial Services and Crematorium.

Atmosphere was created in the service rooms.  The accoustics were good, and it seemed like any concert setting in a Church.  Ushers were dressed in robes.  One even wore gloves with skeleton designs.  Hand shakers created a bone-rattling sound, as the musicians entered the stage area.  Pawsey sang two new songs by composer Leslie Uyeda, based on poetry by Joy Kogawa: Zen Graveyard; and Stations of Angels.  Cernauskas accompanied on bass flute for this world premiere.

After these two songs, we exited through a different door, and walked downstairs past memorial places for urns.  Seeing the flowers and pictures honouring deceased loved ones gave the evening a thoughtful dynamic.  We filed out the back door and up some stairs, coming beside still more memorial plaques along the walls of the building.  Next we walked south through the cemetary, then East towards Fraser St.

Back at the Hamilton-Harron Funeral Home, we viewed some of the artist displays by S.D. Holman.  There was a unique altar display featuring tiny sugar sculptures in the shapes of human skulls, apparently a tradition for Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations.

In the service room, draperies hung down the aisle along with artworks suspended from the rafters.  It all spoke to images of death and transition.  The piano was draped over with a white cloth.

Rachel Iwaasa entered the room, and started playing piano.  A disembodied voice was heard.  Where was it coming from?  From the piano.

After the song, Heather Pawsey revealed herself, by lifting off the white drapery off herself and the piano.

The evening followed with a variety of songs, some solemn, some joyous, and some like Rodney Sharman's "Crossing Over"- obviously campy.   Composer Chris Sivak set the Phyllis Webb poem "Treblinka Gas Chamber" to music for another world premiere.  My favorite musical piece was the Kurt Weill song, "Complainte de la Seine", sung in French as was "Mon Cadavre est doux comme un gant" by Francis Poulenc, with words by Louise de Vilmorin.

The final highlight was another world premiere, The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey, set to music by Robert Ursan.  It is a musical version of the macabre ABC book by Gorey, in which goes through an alphabet of children's names, who each strangely die untimely deaths.

Truely, an interesting evening.

Below is an e-mail from Heathere Pawsey, performer and producer of the Dead Serious event

Hey Todd,

Thanks for the great write-up.  You really captured all the elements of what we 
were trying to achieve with the concert (profundity, fun, reflection, remembrance).
I'm so glad you enjoyed it.  

I think that's the first time I've been able to present THREE world premieres in 
a single concert.  As you know, I'm very passionate about promoting the 
creative work of Canada's fantastic composers.  You know Leslie, I believe.  
She is one of the most profound and brilliant composers in this country - period.  

Chris Sivak is a 4th year student at UBC; I met him when he was attending Cap 
College and writing music for some of my singing students.  He wrote "Treblinka 
Gas Chamber" as a gift for me; I didn't know he had done it until I found the 
score in my mailbox at the college.  

Rob is an old friend since Grade 9.  We toured the prairies together singing with 
Prairie Opera, and one year we premiered his children's opera The Snow Queen 
and toured it (it was also broadcast by CBC Radio).  I was very honoured to be 
able to sing the music of three composers I know and respect so highly.

Mined Over Matter coming up on March 16 at the BC Museum of Mining!  I'll let 
you know more details.  Off to the first workshop of Veda Hille's new children's 
opera Jack Pine for Vancouver Opera (and rehearsing Fidelio in the evenings).  
Life is never DULL!

Cheers
Heather

TAILOR MADE: Chinatown's Last Tailors
CBC Newsworld
Tuesday February 12th
7pm/10pm   EST & PST

Modernize Tailors began in 1913 when their father opened the store.  Brothers Bill and Jack took it over in 1953.  It's now 2007, and Bill's younger brother Milton wants to help brothers Bill and Jack retire gracefully by turning the tailor shop into a "living museum" and "hobby shop," and move into the restored building and original site of their father's tailorshop. But will they pass the historic tailor shop on to an fashion journalist apprentice or the hot shot tailor at Holt Renfrew?

This is the story behind Tailor Made: Chinatown's Last Tailors, directed by Len Lee and Marsha Newbery, and produced by Marsha Newbery

This was a wonderful documentary that was more concerned with the present day human story of finding a successor for Modernize Tailors, rather than retelling the history of Chinatown and how the Wong Brothers Bill and Jack turned to their father's tailor shop after they were told there would be no jobs for them because they were Chinese, even though they had just graduated with UBC engineering degrees in 1946.  In following the two different successor storylines, the viewer learns an appreciation for what Bill and Jack Wong created with Modernize Tailors, and why it has a special place not only in Chinatown history, but also Vancouver history.  We learn that it once was Vancouver's busiest and largest tailor shop, employing up to 20 people and operating 7 days a week.

You really got to know a sense of Bill Wong, tailor.  He is such as nice down to earth person.  He genuinely was interested in apprentice JJ Lee, and the hot shot tailor David.  But now Bill is 85 years old.  There are other concerns in his life such as his wife and garden. It is shared that wife Zoe is in the beginning stages of Alzheimers disease, and there is a touching scene of them walking hand in hand in Queen Elizabeth Park near their home.  And then there are the many children and grandchildren that we are never introduced to.

There are even some celebrity appearances!  Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan comes into the shop to visit and says that he wants to be able to brag that he has a Modernize Tailors suit.  There is a picture of Sean Connery who was a customer, as well as a thank you note from Gordon Lightfoot.  At one time, Modernize Tailors was "the tailor shop" to go to in Vancouver - especially when the zoot suits were in fashion!  Nowadays they just make zoot suits for the theatre and film companies.

But the best celebrity appearance is their baby brother Milton Wong.  Bill shares that Milton was named to the Order of Canada and chancellor at Simon Fraser University.  The narrator says that Milton is a well-known investor and philanthropist who has bought the historic Chinese Freemasons building and restored it as a senior's residence.  It was also the early site of Modernize Tailors from for fifty years from 1936 to 1976.  Milton has created a smaller storefront for Modernize Tailors to "retire" into, as a kind of living museum and hobby shop, because elder brothers Bill and Jack aren't ready to quit tailoring yet.

Tailor Made was filmed over a 1 1/2 year period from 2006 to 2007.  Bill Wong's son Steven is on our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team so we heard about some of the story ideas and filming events, such as "the move."  From time to time I pop into Modernize Tailors, so I also bumped into the film makers and Wong family members.  At one point the film crew was asking about having the 85 year old Bill Wong paddle on our dragon boat team, because he had done so as part of "The Wong Way" family dragonboat team in 2004 and 2005.

Bill Wong attended this year's Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner, and his son Steven is a paddler on our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  It's nice to get to know Bill over the past few years, as our family's have many connections.

It was nice to see my uncle Laddie in the show, since he is one of the tailors employed by Bill and Jack.  And I saw my Auntie Verna, when there was a food celebration with the Wong families in the store.

My cousin Joe Wai made a brief appearance as "the architect" of the restored heritage building, that Bill Wong's younger brother Milton has bought to house the "living museum" of the working tailor shop.

Over the past 3 years there have been 4 documentaries about Vancouver Chinatown families and individuals: Mary Lee Chan: Taking On City Hall, I Am the Canadian Delegate (the Douglas Jung Story), Generations: The Chan Legacy and now Tailor Made: Chinatown's Last Tailors.  I am proud to know descendants from each of the families documented, and especially that there are descendants from each family paddling on our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team!

photo Todd Wong

Here's a picture of tailor-turned-woodcarver Bill Wong working on a dragon boat head with the youngest generation of Wongs.  Both the Wong Way and Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat teams took part in an experimental workshop to carve wooden dragon boat heads in the spring of 2005.

Italian Girl in Algiers
Vancouver Opera
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
January 26, 29. 31 and February 2nd 2008

An Italian girl in a Muslim harem?  A Korean soprano wife singing in Italian to her German-Canadian bass husband?  Opera is so very multicultural, and Vancouver Opera's new production of Rossini's "Italian Girl in Algiers" is a delight!

Can you imagine anything crazier than one of the opera's stars, Randall Jakobsh playing Mustafa, dancing around "naked" behind a towel, or being "powdered" by his servants while singing to a beautiful Rossini score?

I have always loved Rossini's music.  Many generations have grown up identifying Rossini's "William Tell Overture" as "The Lone Ranger Theme" - the musicality burned into our brains.  The Italian Girl in Algiers also has many memorable passages that dusted off my early memories of listening to one of the essential classical music collections - Rossini Overtures.

Vancouver Opera's new production of "Italian Girl In Algiers" originally presented in 1813, is now set during the roaring '20's, a time of mad-cap comedy described as Emily Earhart meets the Marx Brothers.  This sets the stage for the audience to accept the absurd comedic plots and situations that are to come, and all accompanied by a gorgeous Rossini musical score.

Now imagine sitting in the audience, when a 1920's bi-plane flies over your head, then sputters, crash landing on stage of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.  It actually happens... and the audience claps enthusiastically!

The opera opens with a super huge gigantic book on stage, that opens up to reveal the set design - the palace of the Governor of Algiers.  Just like a bedtime story,  the message is this: don't take this opera seriously... sit back and enjoy the story.

The Governor Mustafa has grown tired of  his wife Elvira, and thinks that an exotic Italian girl will bring him happiness.  He decides to send his wife off with Lindoro, an Italian slave at his court captured only 3 months earlier by Mustafa's pirates.  Suddenly, an airplane crashes, Isabella is looking for her lost love Lindoro.  The pirates take this "Italian Girl" to Mustafa who is instantly infatuated with Isabella, who is shocked to see her beloved Lindoro, who is supposedly being married off to Elvira, who is still in love with Mustafa. This is a comedy of love infatuations and a battle of the sexes begins.  Oh... and then there is Taddeo, the would-be Italian suitor of Isabella, during Lindor's absence. He accompanied Isabella in her search for Lindoro... what a stand up guy! Not!

Soprano Sandra Piques Eddy is perfect as a Katherine Hepburnish, pants wearing, independent woman named Isabella looking for her lost love Lindora, played by lyric tenor John Tessier, who was captured by pirates. Their voices are wonderful.  But despite this ensemble cast, Eddy clearly shines the brightest, as she loves her role as an Isabella who can tame men with a look or a wave.

Randall Jakobsh plays Mustafa, the governor of Algiers, who is instantly smitten by the vivaciously exotic Isabella. This is his debut performance with the Vancouver Opera, and his first appearance as Mustafa.  It's a perfect fit, and expect Jakobsh to be getting calls from around the world for this Rossini play as he brings so much life into a this hilarious role.

Sookhyung Park, plays Elvira the Governor's wife that he is handing her over to Lindora, to make way for this new "Italian Girl" to be added to his harem.  The Korean born Park, balances both her anger and love for Mustafa, and learns from Isabella what it takes to properly "train a husband."

Rounding out the cast is Hugh Russell as Taddeo, who brings additional comic relief.  Mustafa wants to impress Isabella, and so he names Taddeo as Grand Kaimakan (a lieutenant position amongst his followers).  Taddeo meanwhile does everything he can to thwart Mustafa's advances on Isabella.

But who is Randall Jakobsh, and why should BC opera goers be proud of him?

Imagine a younger, sexier, slimmer Ben Heppner singing Bass - and born and rasied in Vernon BC.  This is Randall.

If there ever was a role made for Randall Jakobsh to demonstrate his abilities, this might be it.  It allows Randall to be charming and sexy, but this also pushes him in his first bufo-comedy role.  He shared with me that this is the hardest role he has ever done, and he was quite anxious about his Vancouver Opera debut when I talked with him on Boxing Day in Vernon. 

But after watching Jakobsh on stage in not much more than a "towel" while singing in a "bath" while the audience laughed at the unexpected rubber ducky, we can all be assured that Randall's star is rising.  He was calm, and looked to be having fun in his role, even when not singing.  He asked what we thought of his "dancing bear" as he hammed it up on stage singing about his infatuation with the Italian Girl, while his slaves powdered him and washed him "behind the towel."  I had to laugh because when Randall had come over to the house to visit in Vernon, it had been us sitting in the hot tub, and inviting him to come join us.

This Canadian classic theatre work is still strong and disturbing. Remounted on its 40th Anniversary for the Firehall Arts Centre’s 25th Anniversary, this production of The Ecstasy of Rita Joe stuns audiences with not only the power of its story and acting - but now with the resonance of history’s truths and tragedy. Playwright George Ryga’s words are still haunting and critical 20 years after his death in 1987.... Firehall Arts Centre artistic director Donna Spencer has assembled a stellar cast, and directed the production herself, as well as playing the role of school teacher... But the Firehall Arts Centre's production is a worthy contender.    more »

Magic happens sometimes in unexpected places, and with unexpected people. Joy Kogawa, author of Obasan and Naomi's Road, shared with the audience that she has been continually amazed at the way the universe has unfolded to not only save her childhood home from demolition last year - but also to continue build a foundation for the planned literary landmark and writers-in-residence program for historic Joy Kogawa House.... Tonight's event was perfect with both authors Shaena Lambert and Ruth Ozeki reading their most recent works that deal with the consequences of the WW2 Hiroshima bombing. How fitting that the stars aligned to have Ruth come to Vancouver from between her busy commutes between Cortes Island and New York City to settle in Kogawa House on the day before Remembrance Day.    more »

The Dunsmuirs: Alone at the Edge Oct 5-20, 2007 Presentation House Theatre 333 Chesterfield Ave. North Vancouver This is a wonderfully interesting play about one of Canada's most controversial and rags-to-richest Scots-Canadian Robert Dunsmuir. The coal miner who became a coal baron then Premier and Lt. Governor of the province while he was employing Asian minors as lower paid scab labourers in his Nanaimo/Cumberland mines.   more »

What is the Redress Express, and what does it have to do with racism? 2007 is a significant year for anniversaries in Asian-Canadian history: 1907 - 100 year anniversary of the Chinatown riots by the Anti-Asiatic League 1947 - the end of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the beginning of franchise rights including voting for Canadians of Chinese ancestry. ~~~~~~~~~~ - Sid Chow Tan is now an "Artist" after his brief 5 minute talk & 10 minute video presentatsion of the journey of Head Tax Redress; Hank Bull (curator plus) stated that "If Sid's video isn't art, then I don't know what is!" - Victor Wong had an excellent talk on Head Tax & Redress titled "True Grits, Kwan Gung and Luck: The Inside Stories of the Head Tax Redress Campaign"   more »

Toddish McWong learns Irish Step Dancing on Granville Island

I went paddling in a marathon canoe with Gung Haggis paddler Art Calderwood. We heard celtic fiddle music as we paddled into Alder Bay behind Granville Island. And of course I had to check it out.

Imagine our surprise to discover the Violet Moore Irish Dancers on stage with Delhi 2 Dublin - with Kytami fiddling away!  

I had attended the first Delhi 2 Dublin event at the 2006 Celtic Festival, and loved the energy that Kytami brought to the stage. Delhi 2 Dublin blends celtic fiddle tunes with bhangra beats, and they performed at the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival in 2006.  Here's my story about my first Kytami/Delhi 2 Dublin experience: my first Kytami/Delhi 2 Dublin experience on St. Paddy's Eve.

When they asked for audience volunteers to learn ceil dancing for Bridge of Athlone.... I was there! So was Gung Haggis paddlers Steven Wong who had been sitting in the audience. It was great fun, learning to Irish step dance. We shall have to organize a ceil dance party for Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team, food and social club.

After I stepped off the stage and outside the Performance Works building, I met the New Works producer Barbara Clausen, who had hired dancer/choreographer Andrea Nann to do some workshops in Vancouver last year.  I love Andrea...  She worked with author Michael Ondaatje and choreographed some dances based on his works for explorASIAN in 2003.  Andrea came and performed a dance for the Save Kogawa House Nov 12 Special Concert awareness event at the Vancouver Public Library in 2005.  I think it would be fun to work together with Barbara Clausen on a Gung Haggis Fat Choy type of project.

Barabra hasput together and incredible array of Sunday events at Ron Basford Park on Granville Island as part of New Works "All Over the Map" Dance and music series.  Two weeks ago our dragon boat team paddled by Granville Island and hear the Japanese Taiko drums of Uzume Taiko.

Next up for "All Over the Map":

July 29th - Feel It!
- Tango Paradiso Ensemble with Dancers
August 12th - Shake it!
- Guinean Dance and Music with Kocassale Dioubate and friends
August 19th - Hit it!
- Traditional Indonesian Dance and Music in partnership with the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia.

Norah Jones is stunning in Vancouver - plays electric guitar


Norah Jones stepped onto the stage, quietly, and stood behind a microphone dressed casually  in jeans and a black and white striped top.  She was singing back up for opening act M. Ward.  The restless crowd didn't recognize her at first.  They were expecting to sit through an unknown opening act.   She disappeared after singing 3 duets with Ward.  Give Jones credit for drawing attention to the opening act.  This is Jones' style: understated, professional, warm and highlighting others.

When Jones finally came back as the main act, she stepped onto stage wearing a bright red dress, and a bright red electric guitar.  She strummed chords and sang the opening lines to "Come Away With Me - her big 2002 hit.  What? Norah not at the piano?  She looked like a lost party girl with her fluffy knee length dress and fishnet stockings.  Jones definitely challenged the audience with new renditions of her old songs.  Afterall, this was a jazz festival concert she was playing at.  She shared with the audience that her first performance in Vancouver was a Jazz Festival show.  She was a jazz nerd, and she was only 19 years old.  She tasted her first martini, and didn't like it.  The crowd clapped endearingly.

She moved from piano to electric piano to acoustic guitar, playing songs from her new album, "Not Too Late," as well as her big selling "Come Away With Me" and it's follow up "Feels Like Home."  The Handsome Band accompanied her, and I was impressed by its musicianship.  Everybody played at least too instruments.  Guitarist Adam Levy played some banjo, drummer Andrew Borger played marimba, Lee Alexander played electric bass, double bass (with a bow!) and guitar, Daru Oda played flute, electric bass, percussion, hurdy gurdy and even whistled on an acoustic guitar duet with Norah.  It's an amazingly musically diverse band playing jazz, pop, blues, dixie, country and western swing.  And of course the racial diversity is evident with Jones' mixed heritage by father Ravi Shankar, and Oda's Japanese-American heritage.

It was a wonderful concert in an intimate setting.  Jones played solo piano for the Hoagy Carmichael classic "The Nearness of You," as well as her new political protest song "Election Day."  I've been a fan of Norah Jones since 2002, when "Come Away With Me" came out.  I love the acoustic emphasis and the soft vocal inflections that sound as if she is singing only to you - from the other side of a table.  The first date I had with my girlfriend, she put on Norah Jones and Diana Krall on the stereo, while I cooked dinner for her.  Going to see our first Norah Jones concert was a perfect capping for my girlfriend's birthday week.

It's an incredible intimate affair with passionate flamenco music and dancing performed by people who love what they are doing and share what they love with the audience. Imagine a small funky hat store in Granville Island 's Net Loft turned into an intimate cafe. Fill the store with seats for a cafe setting, set up tables of food and a bar. Allow the Orchid Ensemble to let loose with their incredible musicianship, set fire by the flamenco artistry of Mozaico Flamenco's Oscar and Kasandra La China with their troupe of hot smouldering dancers dressed in Chinese cheong sam dresses. Wow!   more »

For this weekend - two key intercultual performances to see - Uzume Taiko and Vancouver Opera's Touring ensemble Magic Flute.   more »

Twisting Fortunes February 6, 7, 8, 9, 8pm Playwrights Theatre Centre (1398 Cartwright Street) on Granville Island. Tickets $10 at the door. Whether or not you have dated an Asian or a Caucasian, you will relate to this play. Playwrights Grace Chin and Charlie Cho, have created a witty and sharply funny play about dating (or non-dating) in Vancouver's cyber-café culture. Filled with hip pop culture references that clash with traditional dating expectations, Twisting Fortunes explores the netherland of dating culture's "do's and don'ts" while adding an inter-cultural spice with references and comparisons to dating Asians and non-Asians.    more »

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something brewed," is how I always describe the GHFC World Poetry Night. And then sometimes we just make things up as we go along... that is how creativity works. What else could you expect when the host of Co-op Radio's "Creativity Rocks" program Ariadne Sawyer gets together with Gung Haggis Fat Choy creator Todd Wong? ~~~~ A little bit of Scottish music on this side... a little bit of Chinese poetry on that side... a little bit of Robbie Burns from Ian Mason, and a strange hybrid Chinese/Scottish dragon dance to bagpipes in the middle of the poetry readings.   more »

Dragon Boys was one of CBC's most hyped new shows for January 2007. Because it dealt with drugs, gang violence and prostitution in the Chinese communities of Vancouver and Richmond, it broached sensitive issues. Cultural consultants were brought in, but did it help or hinder the show?   more »

It was a cold icy night, with snow all around. I wore my wool kilt to the opera, to keep with the Scottish theme. Ancient Fraser of Lovat tartan for me... Saskatchewan tartan for my companion. Dressing up for the opera... Macbeth is set in the Middle Ages10th Century - long before the invention of the modern kilt. The famous Shakespearean drama was written in 1606. In 1847, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi abandoned his planned opera of King Lear, and wrote Macbeth to celebrate his favorite poet. Fast forward to November 2006, the debut of this Scottish-English-Italian opera in multicultural Vancouver - long home to early waves of Scottish, English and Italian immigrants. This city has long loved its opera. This province and city was built by Scottish pioneers, becoming home to many Scottish cultural traditions including the BC Highland Games, world champion SFU Pipe Band and a great Shakespeare tradition of Bard on the Beach.   more »