Anthony Brown’s Asian American Orchestra has performed throughout the Bay Area and the United States at jazz festivals including San Francisco, Chicago, and Monterey; at educational institutions including San Francisco and Long Beach State Universities, multiple campuses of the University of California, and the Universities of Washington (Seattle), Arizona (Tucson), Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and Kentucky (Lexington); and at concert venues including Yoshi’s and Stern Grove in SF, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh’s Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild. Depending on the repertoire performed, the AAO ranges in size from nine to sixteen performers, with a core ensemble of five charter members.
The premiere of GO FOR BROKE! A Salute to Nisei Veterans will be the centerpiece of a musical presentation commemorating the 75th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942 that forced over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry into desolate internment camps until the end of World War II. GO FOR BROKE! honors the courageous Nisei (second generation Japanese in America) soldiers who fought in World War II while their families were imprisoned.
Performers:
Anthony Brown, drums, percussion, director | Naoko Amemiya—taiko, percussion | Ian Carey, trumpet | Shoko Hikage, koto, voice | Mark Izu, bass, sho (mouth organ) | Masaru Koga, saxophones, shakuhachi | Brendan Liu, trumpet | Frank Martin, piano | Jimi Nakagawa, taiko, percussion | Brenda Wong Aoki, voice
ANTHONY BROWN’S ASIAN AMERICAN ORCHESTRA WILL BE PERFORMING at WE ARE ALL AMERICANS! TRIBUTE TO NIKKEI VETERANS
MIS Historic Learning Center (640 Old Mason St. SF, CA. 94129)
November 11, 10AM-12PM