Sunday, June 7 @ 2pm
Alberta Rose Theatre
“We really saw that this was like being a musical ambassador.” —Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto, reflecting on the role of A Grain of Sand in the Asian American movement
ABOUT THE CONCERT
The season closes in June with A Grain of Sand, Revisited—a poignant reflection on Asian American political formation through music and storytelling.
In collaboration with A Thousand Tongues—a Minneapolis-based arts organization dedicated to uplifting Asian American voices—this concert blends past and present, featuring selections from the seminal 1973 protest album A Grain of Sand, alongside choral works by contemporary Asian and Asian American composers including Shruthi Rajasekar, Tracy Wong, and Saunder Choi.
A concert examining Asian American activism, solidarity, and identity formation, A Grain of Sand, Revisited traces the roots of the now-familiar term “Asian American,” coined in the late 1960s to foster unity among pan-Asian activists engaged in the broader, multi-ethnic struggle for self-determination. Through music and reflection, this program explores that radical legacy and the enduring lessons it offers today.
The program is co-curated and conducted by ATT Artistic Director Paolo Debuque, Adrianna Tam, and Resonance Associate Conductor Shohei Kobayashi.
PROGRAM
Stay Tuned!
PRESS & MEDIA
Smithsonian Folkways — A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America
Densho Encyclopedia — A Grain of Sand (album)
ResearchGate — The Construction of Asian American Identity in A Grain of Sand’s Music for the Struggle by Asians in America (1973)
Pitchfork — What Is Asian American Music, Really?
THIS PERFORMANCE IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY Resonance Donors for Black Excellence, The Dinah Dodds Fund for New Art, Ronni Lacroute, The Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Cultural Trust, Regional Arts & Culture Council, The City of Portland– the Office of Arts & Culture, and the Oregon Community Foundation