Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with SSTCi!

Art & Advocacy: In the Studio with

Artist Syahidah Osman

Tuesday, May 7th, 7pm-8pm

Join us for Art & Advocacy: In the Studio with Artist Syahidah Osman Tuesday, May 7th at 7pm on Zoom. Learn about Syahida's art as well as the personal story behind her work.

Syahidah Osman is a self-taught, Southeast Asian female artist who uses different mediums to capture the tragically beautiful and profoundly hidden aspects of the human condition that tie in with domesticity, family, security, vulnerability, fragility, tension, and partnership. She aims to widen people’s perceptions and embed a sense of wonder through art. 

Syahidah wants to harness the power of the arts to raise understanding when facts fail. She plans to instigate empathy, instill curiosity, and use her artworks as a catalyst for community engagement. She hopes to restore humanity's capability to connect with others in a technology-dominated world.i

In & Out by Syahidah Osman

In Celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

AAPI Culinary Traditions

Hosted by SSTCi Board Member &

Wednesday, May 15th 7pm-9pm

We invite you for another exciting program as we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month: AAPI Culinary Traditions hosted by Christian Oh Wednesday, May 15th 7pm-9pm on Zoom. Christian will be joined by a diverse array of people from across the AAPI diaspora sharing their unique family food memories and traditions.

Our panelists include the following speaking on their own food heritage:

Khishge Batkhishig Byambasambuu (Mongolia) Avid Cook & Baker

Li-Ly Chang (Taiwan) Pianist & Music Educator Councilmember Kristin Mink (China)

Christian Oh (Korean) SSTCi Board Member & Leader in the AAPI Community

Tony Sarmiento (The Philippines) board member of the Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming & "Garlic Guru"

We are looking for a few more panelists to share their own AAPI food memories. Contact lisa@silverspringtowncenter.com if you'd like to share your story!

Our AAPI culinary traditions program in May of 2022 marked the first of many that followed with much enthusiasm across our greater community showcasing 8 different diasporas. If you're a foodie, you will not want to miss this delicious discussion! 

Christian Oh has been a pillar of the Asian American community. As the current chair of the board for the DC Shorts International Film Festival (www.dcshorts.com), he has produced and directed many award-winning shorts, music videos, commercials, and public service announcements. He received his film background education from George Washington University Documentary Center, internships with Adobe at both the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals and on-hands experience with Sundance and Tribeca. Christian is also the President/Executive Director of the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival (www.apafilm.org). He was a consultant for the 1st Annual Chuseok Festival in San Francisco and he loves production of all types of events and projects and has lots of experiences with expos, conventions, festivals, galas, and large-scale events. Prior to that, he was the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Kollaboration DC, an Asian American Talent competition here in the DC metro area. Christian has also been a consultant for many different events pertaining to Asian Festivals, KPop, Music, Entertainment, and Film. Christian was a former adjunct faculty for the Asian American Studies program at University of Maryland where he taught ethnic studies in film, video, and social media. Christian has recently launched a talent, logistics and event execution consulting agency called Oh.Hi Consulting, which utilizes his over two decades of experience with managing and providing expertise with festivals, concerts, galas, conferences and events in the DMV. He has lived and worked in the DMV area for over 25 years.

Spotlight on Japan

Travelogues: Sacred Treks on Spain's Camino de Santiago & Japan's Shikoku Pilgrimage

with Artist Rachel Ann Cross

Thursday, May 16th 7pm-8.30pm on Zoom

Travelogues: Sacred Treks on Spain's Camino de Santiago & Japan's Shikoku Pilgrimage with Artist Rachel Ann Cross. This virtual program will take place Thursday, May 16th 7pm-8.30pm on Zoom

Rachel Ann Cross, DC area artist, musician, and arts educator, first began her sacred trekking experiences in 2017 on the Camino de Santiago. She has since completed the 500-mile Camino twice and half of the Shikoku Buddhist Pilgrimage in Japan. These amazing treks influence her artwork and spiritual practice on a daily basis.

Rachel Ann Cross is an artist, musician, and educator who has been working in the Washington, DC area for over 25 years. Her vibrant artistic vision and sense of social justice are heavily informed by her early childhood in Los Angeles. Rachel is an adamant hiker and Nature lover. These themes feature prominently in her artwork. Rachel’s artwork continues to be exhibited in galleries, private collections, homes, and office spaces throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. Rachel holds a BFA in fine arts from the Corcoran School of Art. Additionally, she studied in N.Y. and Paris through Parsons School of Design. Rachel is currently an artist-in-residence for the City of Greenbelt, MD and a resident of Takoma park, MD.

For more info about Rachel and her work, visit: www.planetrachel.com

Share the Aloha Spirit!

Ukulele Hui Under the Stars

Hawaiian Music & Dance

El Golfo's Patio

Thursday, May 23rd

6pm-9pm

Join us Thursday, May 23rd Under the Stars with Ukulele Hui at El Golfo! Enjoy an evening al fresco at El Golfo's Patio with Hawaiian music and dance and loads of the aloha spirit! Also enjoy El Golfo's delicious Latin cuisine, margaritas & more! Don't forget to wear your Hawaiian shirt & bring your Aloha spirit!

The Hawai`i State Society (HSS) ‘Ukulele Hui, including the hula dancers, has been in existence for more than 20 years. Under the direction of Carol Takafuji, the group meets weekly for good music, food, and fun. The `Ukulele Hui has performed at many functions, including lu‘au, church and school events, retirement homes, and multicultural festivals, to name a few. They are all ambassadors of the HSS of Washington, D.C. in promoting and perpetuating the culture of Hawai‘i in song and dance, spreading the Aloha Spirit wherever they go.

Join Us For This Musical Journey!

Exploring Chinese Classical Music with Pianist & Music Educator Li-Ly Chang

Wednesday, May 29th, 7pm-9pm

Start your musical virtual journey with Li-Ly Chang , pianist, composer, music educator, on Wednesday, May 29th, 7pm-9pm on Zoom.

Please join us for this unique format of music listening and creative discussion with a taste of Asian culture through exposure of piano music of composers of Asian heritage.

Invite your friends, families, sipping flavoring tea and tasty assorted cookies on the side , listening to colorful videos of piano music performed by Li-Ly Chang. She will talk about her music, upbringing, composing process, story-telling, and many combinations of East meets West.

Ms Chang will also discuss the music of Dr Chen Yi and Chiang Wen Yeh, dynamic Chinese composers and their influences.

Every piece will bring enjoyment, innovative learning and a music education perspective for all ages. Expanding the horizon and diversity of new music from Asia, combined with cultural understanding, traditions and customs. Enjoy this amazing musical journey with us!

About Our Presenter

LI-LY CHANG

Li-Ly Chang, pianist, composer, chamber musician, adjudicator, clinician and teacher. She has received many awards, grants from Maryland State Music Teachers and Montgomery County Music Teachers’, Jordan Kitt’s Music, and Maryland State Arts Council. She is the commissioned composer of Maryland State Music Teachers in 2011. She has given concerts in Asia, Europe and the U.S. Some of her compositions have debuted in music festivals and international competitions. Her piano teachers include Sacha Gorodnitzki, Leon Fleisher, Sequeira Costa, Fernando Laires, Walter Hautzig, Jack Winerock and Ming Tcherepnin. Composition teachers are Joseph Nelson, John Pozdro, and Henry Mitchell.

She has performed in Asia, Europe, and the US. Recently, she was featured at webinar “Meet the Composer: Piano Music by Composers of Asian Heritage” sponsored twice by Frances Clark Center. In April 2023, her music was the topic of a doctoral thesis, “A Study of Traditional and Innovative Musical Elements in Selected Piano Solo Works of Li-Ly Chang.” by Xin Yu Zhang from George Mason University .She holds professional certification (NCTM) from the Music Teachers’ National Association. She was a commissioned composer of MD 2010. She was a music panelist for the Maryland State Arts Council and is the Director of the International Young Artist Piano Competition (IYAPC), a competition that she founded in 1985.

Her parents were both very good amateur Erhu ( Chinese violin) players from China, and she grew up in Taiwan. During the early years while taking piano lessons, she was also quite inspired and excited to hear them playing the ancient music, thus a mix of ancient traditional sound and new folk songs in Taiwan started to develop in her compositions. After she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from National Taiwan University, she came to US and received a Master of Music from University of West Texas A&M. She also did special graduate studies at Peabody Conservatory of Music in piano, composition and chamber music.

While studying in Baltimore, MD, besides strong classical music training in piano, composition, vocal and conducting, she heard some of the great Jazz players and ensembles from the East Coast when they played in town. She is also inspired by the works of Bartok, Kabalevsky, Albeniz, Ginastera…etc., how they captured the spirit of their native folk songs and dances. All those influences has incorporated into her composition - a mixed flavor of pentatonic, jazz, blues, quartal, quintal chords, syncopation, mixed meter and bi-tonal. Another creative impulse is from the micro tone of ancient Chinese instruments. She often uses aug.2nd, m2nd, m3rd, chromaticism …to imitate the fluctuation of those Asian string instruments in her piano works. They are often programmatic, to tell a story, paint a picture, or remember a trip and a journey. Her compositions have been listed with Modern Piano Music by Nancy Breth and A Seat at the Piano by Annie Jung. 

Her performances include the Dame Myra Hess Series, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Roosevelt Hall, Trinity Church Series, Shriver Hall and Center of Strathmore. She has given master classes and lecture recitals in George Washington University, Savannah On Stage Festival, Mannes School of Music, Asian American Music Society, Delaware State College, Levine School of Music, McDaniel College, La Plata University, Georgetown University, New England Conservatory, U.S. State Department, and World Piano Pedagogy Conference.

As an active chamber musician, she has performed with members of National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, White House Orchestra, and Army Band. She is in constant demand for adjudication. She has judged in the Chamber Music Foundation of New England in Carnegie Hall and American Asian Music Society in New Jersey. She was invited to perform in Peking and taught at SMI international School in Shanghai, China from 2012 to 2017.

She serves on the Board of Maryland State Music Teachers’ Association, DC Federation Music Club, Washington International Piano Festival, Greater Columbia Music Teachers Association. She was a faculty member at Tunghai University and Theological Baptist Seminary in Taiwan

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She has taught at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD. Her students have been winning competitions at County, State and International levels. She was nominated as "Distinguished Music Educator of 2019” by the Music and Arts Center. She has a music studio in Silver Spring, MD. www.lilychangpiano.com

She was a music panelist for the Maryland State Arts Council and is the Director of the International Young Artist Piano Competition (IYAPC), a competition that she founded in 1985. The IYAPC is now in all U.S. states and overseas countries such as Germany, France, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

“She is an expert partner in the Poulenc Violin Sonata. She played with the Monumental Brass Quintet with poise and considerable skill. The Ensemble showed expert technique, emotional expressiveness and a firm sense of partnership.” The Washington Post.

 “Her performance reflected her superb sensitivity and creativity both as a pianist and as a composer.” State of the Arts Cultural Series.- US State Department

“You always amaze me with the quality of performers you play with, and most especially you personally always amaze me with the quality of your own solo performance! You are truly ultra talented artist -MAI Series

“I loved your piece! All played so well. Clearly, your beautiful music inspired them ( IYAPC contestants). The level of playing was incredibly high.It is good to know that the future of piano is in good hands - Dr. Hedi Salanki Rubardt, University of West Florida

Special Events featuring Our AAPI Community!

Silver Spring-based cultural group

Halau Nohona Hawai'i

is celebrating 10 years!

Fiesta Asia Street Fair

Saturday, May 18th