We are pleased to announce the Asian American Orchestra and Voices Of A Dream in collaboration with Dr. Angela Davis will premiere DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King as the headlining musical event of the 2018 SF International Arts Festival (SFIAF) on May 26th at 8pm at Ft. Mason’s Cowell Theater. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King is an inclusionary instrumental and vocal multi-movement jazz work scored for contemporary Western and traditional Asian instruments, featuring spoken word by Dr. Angela Davis, with solo and choral passages inspired by Spirituals, Freedom Songs, and contemporary vocal techniques. Visit http://www.sfiaf.org/ for more information.

This year’s festival's theme "Down by the Riverside" seeks to inspire a new generation of Americans to become engaged and active citizens. DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King was inspired by Dr. King's most controversial speech, “Beyond Vietnam—A Time to Break Silence” at the Riverside Church in New York City on April 4 1967—one year to the day before he was assassinated. In this speech, King declared a strong antiwar stance questioning our nation’s military role in Vietnam. This opposition to the war was deemed extremely unpatriotic; he was vilified in the media, and mainstream America and even fellow civil rights leaders turned against him. 

Here is a link to MLK’s Riverside Church address, Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.

Every February, Japanese American communities commemorate Day of Remembrance (DOR) to mark the anniversary of the internment of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. Signed by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 (EO9066) was executed by General DeWitt, Commander of the Presidio, SF seventy-five years ago and resulted in the forced removal and incarceration of innocent American citizens.

In 1998, the Asian American Orchestra was founded as a component of a federally funded national education program about the Japanese American internment experience. In celebration of our 20th anniversary, the Asian American Orchestra will perform GO FOR BROKE! A Tribute to Nisei Veterans featuring spoken word by Janice Mirikitani, and present Anthony Brown’s 1996 Rockefeller Foundation commissioned composition, E.O. 9066, commemorating the 50th anniversary of closing of the camps.  Commissioned by the Zellerbach Foundation, the November 2017 premiere of GO FOR BROKE! on the Presidio and subsequent performance on Veterans Day there were presented to capacity audiences; the latter performance was attended by the Consul General of Japan who claimed, “The people in Japan need to hear this work.”

In celebration of Black History Month, the Asian American Orchestra and Voices Of A Dream ensemble (VOAD) will present a special preview of excerpts from DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE Requiem for a King. Commissioned by the Wattis Foundation and Inter Music SF (Friends of Chamber Music) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE is an inclusionary instrumental and vocal multi-movement jazz work scored for the Asian American Orchestra comprised of contemporary Western and traditional Asian instruments, and vocals. The premiere performance at the SF International Arts Festival on May 26th will feature recitation by Dr. Angela Davis, a collaboration of artists and activists united in the defense of civil liberties and justice.

The Asian American Orchestra is also excited to announce the release of their new CD, GO FOR BROKE! to coincide with this event, which includes an exhibition and reception commemorating two decades of achievements by the Grammy-nominated Asian American Orchestra.

The Asian American Orchestra will help the Presidio Officers’ Club put the “life” back into live music with a free evening performance that will be the world premiere of GO FOR BROKE! A Salute to Nisei Veterans. Dr. Anthony Brown and the Asian American Orchestra are grateful to partner with the Presidio Trust and InterMusic SF to bring this music to the public for the first time. GO FOR BROKE! A Salute to Nisei Veterans is the Asian American Orchestra’s musical commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the 1942 signing of Executive Order 9066 (EO9066) that forced over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry into desolate internment camps until the end of World War II. Commissioned by the Zellerbach Family Foundation, GO FOR BROKE! honors the courageous Nisei (second-generation Japanese in America) soldiers who fought valiantly in WWII while their families remained imprisoned.

Ticket Information - SOLD OUT , please check out our Veterans Day event to hear this great tribute.

About Presidio Sessions

Music ranges from jazz to classical music from around the world, and are curated by San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music in partnership with the Presidio Trust. In the intimate atmosphere of a house concert, listeners can savor, lounge and learn as they wish. Guests move comfortably between Arguello, the destination restaurant and bar, and the performances in Moraga Hall, with opportunities to converse with performers and each other.