OXNARD — The Oxnard Performing Arts Center Corporation (OPAC) is proud to partner with Pinaysphere, a Filipinx Arts Mentorship nonprofit, to present its first Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Celebration, Friday, May 13, 2022 from 5pm to 12am. The event is in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month which recognizes the contributions and influences of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. OPAC’s event amplifies the narratives of our AAPI community by spotlighting local and international talent, entrepreneurs, healers, and grassroots leaders. Guests will enjoy a headlining performance by legendary master taiko drummer Kenny Endo and his Ensemble.
“Alongside OPAC, Pinaysphere, a local nonprofit serving Filipina-American youth artists, is honored to be creating and holding space for our community to celebrate, showcase and elevate the work of AAPI artists, musicians and creatives. We’re long overdue for an event of this magnitude and importance in Ventura County. We need our AAPI community to know that they have value, alternatives and attainable dreams in these new spaces we have created for them,” comments Pinaysphere founder Jen Benitez.
Festivities begin at 5 pm with Courtyard Activities and the celebration continues in the theater with performances starting at 7pm. Enjoy an after-party with guest DJs and more AAPI vibes.
What to expect:
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Opening Blessing by Virgil Apostol and Ceremonial Performance
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Performances by ALIAS Dance Team, Togen Daiko, Poet Emmelia Rea, Kemehana Pasion, H?lau Hula O Pualanina`auali`ioha, and more!
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AAPI Altar honoring the lives we lost due to anti-AAPI violence
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Vendors, Food, Wellness Corner, Kid’s Corner, and Story-telling
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After party with DJ WenLuv
This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Barbara Barnard Smith World Music Fund. Their support is enabling OPAC to present a 3-day residency with Kenny Endo in Oxnard, including a special performance for local high school students and a free Taiko Master Class on Thursday, May 12 from 7pm-8:30pm.
About Kenny Endo
KENNY ENDO is at the vanguard of the taiko genre, continually paving new paths for this Japanese style of drumming. A performer, composer, and teacher of taiko with numerous awards and accolades, Kenny Endo is a consummate artist, blending Japanese taiko with rhythms influenced from around the world into original melodies and improvisation.
Originally trained as a jazz musician in the Asian American cultural renaissance of 1970s California, Endo began his taiko career first with L.A.’s groundbreaking Kinnara Taiko, then with the renowned San Francisco Taiko Dojo, the first kumi daiko (ensemble drumming) group outside of Japan. In 1980, he embarked on a decade-long odyssey in his ancestral Japan, studying and performing with the masters of classical drumming, traditional Tokyo festival music, and ensemble drumming. Endo has the honor of being the first non-Japanese national to have received a natori (stage name and masters license) in hogaku hayashi (classical drumming). In the hogaku world, Endo is known as Mochizuki Tajiro. https://www.kennyendo.com/
Chizuko Endo, Kenny’s wife, also plays taiko, has family connections in the area and will join Kenny for the Oxnard performance. On her mother’s side- the Koyama family – she has relatives that live in the Oxnard/Ventura area. At one time her grandfather was one of the most successful farmers in the Santa Maria/Guadalupe area. Some of Chizuko’s cousins now live in the Oxnard/Ventura area.
Thursday May 12th, 2022 – Taiko Master Class on Interlocking Patterns
Free or by donation | 7-8:30 pm | Oxnard Room @ Oxnard Performing Arts Center
Pre-registration is required. Space is limited to 30 participants.
Friday, May 13, 2022 – Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration
$10+ | 5 pm Doors | Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way
Tickets available through Eventbrite
More information can be found at https://www.oxnardperformingarts.com/aapi-heritage-celebration.html