Here's the program for our special
Save Kogawa House
Celebration and Awareness Concert
November 12, 2005
Alice Mackay Room
Vancouver Public Library
350 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
Presented by
Save Kogawa House Committee
The Save Kogawa House Committee welcomes you to this celebration of our
120-day moratorium on demolition of the childhood home of author Joy
Kogawa.
This 1915 home at 1450 West 64th Avenue stands as reminder of the 1942
removal from their homes of men, women and children of Japanese
descent. Joy’s memories of her happy life in this modest home in
Marpole stayed with her throughout internment in Slocan and inspired
parts of her 1981 novel Obasan and the children’s story Naomi’s Road,
on which this opera is based.
The opera Naomi’s Road, which premiered on September 30 as Vancouver
Opera’s second-ever commissioned original work, is now touring 140
schools and community centres throughout British Columbia.
On November 1, a graft of the cherry tree from Joy’s childhood home was
planted at City Hall and Mayor Larry Campbell proclaimed the day Obasan
Cherry Tree Day. On November 3, Vancouver City Council voted
unanimously to pass an unprecedented order to delay demolition of Joy’s
childhood home. This 120-day period allows us time to raise funds so
that the house can be purchased and converted into a writers’ centre.
Charitable donations can be made online through the Vancouver Heritage
Foundation website at
http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/Kogawa.html.
For more information, visit www.kogawahouse.com and www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com or contact
Todd Wong at gunghaggis@yahoo.ca or 604-240-7090 and Ann-Marie Metten at ametten@telus.net or 604-263-6586.
SAVE KOGAWA HOUSE
Celebration and Awareness Concert
November 12, 2005
2:00pm Introductions
2:05pm Harry Aoki & Friends
2:25pm Raymond Chow Special Presentation
2:40pm Naomi’s Road – Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble
3:25pm Questions and Answers
3:40pm Closing Remarks and Thank You
Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble
Cast and Crew
Naomi ………………………………………… Jessica Cheung
Mother, Obasan, Mitzi …………………………….….. Gina Oh
Stephen ……………………………………….…… Sam Chung
Father, Trainmaster, Rough Lock Bill, Bully …….. Sung Chung
Pianist: Angus Kellett
Stage manager: David Fuller
Music by Ramona Leungen
Libretto by Ann Hodges
Music director: Leslie Uyeda
Commissioned by Vancouver Opera, James W. Wright, general director
Running time is approximately 45 minutes.
Raymond Chow
Internationally recognized as an artist, Raymond Chow’s drawings of
Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles
form a unique history of the heritage of the Pacific coast. Raymond is
also a pianist and composer who has produced music for ballet, CD and
video.
Harry Aoki
Harry’s personal story mirrors that of the role of 10-year-old Steven
in the Naomi’s Road opera. Harry had to leave behind his beloved
violin, when he was removed from the West Coast in 1942 because he is
Japanese Canadian. Today Harry hosts First Friday Forum, a monthly
evening of music and discussion at the Nikkei Centre in Burnaby.
Special Thanks
to Vancouver Opera, Vancouver Public Library, Mayor Larry Campbell,
Councillors Jim Green, Raymond Louie and Ellen Woodsworth, Vancouver
City Council, Parks Commisioners Suzanne Anton and Heather Deal, Gerry
McGeough, Diane Switzer, Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Heather
Redfern, Marion Quednau, Jackie Byrn, James Wright, Paul Whitney, Ellen
Crowe-Swords, Scott McIntyre, James Johnstone, Yosef Wosk, Alma Lee,
Hitomi Nunotani, Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop, Don Montgomery,
Ricepaper Magazine, ExplorASIAN, Ross Bliss and the many writer
associations across the country.