Events
A Festival within a Festival
Sunday, May 25th, 2014, at 7:00 pm
Join us for a Festival within a Festival — the Film Festival within the Frankie Manning Centennial Celebration. Leslie Li will show selected clips from The Kim Loo Sisters documentary-in-progress prior to the full screening of The Savoy King: Chick Webb and the Music that Changed America.
The Kim Loo Sisters were dubbed “the Chinese Andrews Sisters” and the obstacles they overcame in their ascent to stardom sheds light on the experience of many Asian Americans during the Swing Era (1935-1945).
For more information: www.frankie100.com/festival-a-
Alvin Ailey Theater
George Gee and his Orchestra
Friday, March 1st, 2013, at 9:30 pm
George Gee and his Orchestra presents an evening of swing music and a special preview of the Kim Loo Sisters documentary film.
The third installment of Big Band First Fridays at spacious Dance Manhattan Studios includes a tribute to The Kim Loo Sisters by the 17-piece George Gee Swing Orchestra and features guest vocalist Le Zhang, DJ Chris Lee, and guest baritone saxophonist Adam Lee, former Beijing big band leader.
During the first intermissions, filmmaker Leslie Li will give a special presentation of her documentary The Kim Loo Sisters.
Admission: $20 cash only at the door.
Contact: Dance Manhattan Studios, 212-807-0802, or email info@dancemanhattan.com
*The band starts playing at 9:30 p.m.
Dance Manhattan Studios
Kim Loo Sisters: Portrait in Four-Part Harmony Screening
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011, at 2:15 pm
Please join author and first-time filmmaker Leslie Li for a screening of her hour-long film-in-progress — Kim Loo Sisters: Portrait in Four-Part Harmony — a documentary about four sisters — daughters of a Chinese ‘paper son’ and a Polish refugee — who overcame poverty and prejudice to become a popular American jazz vocal quartet in the 1930s and 40s.
Spanning nearly a century, the Kim Loo Sisters’ recollections include the Jazz Age, when they cut their theatrical teeth in kiddie revues in their hometown of Minneapolis; the Great Depression, which they spent crisscrossing the country following the various vaudeville circuits; and the Second World War, during which they performed in Broadway musicals and Hollywood movies. The quartet became a trio when one “Kimmie” left the act to marry the son of the vice president of China and witnessed the Chinese Revolution first-hand — but not before her three sisters joined the USO to entertain American and Allied troops stationed in Europe during the “good war.” Their remarkable story — both on stage and off as well as their lives pre- and post-Kim Loo Sisters — adds a vivid chapter to contemporary Chinese-American history and makes a persuasive argument for the power of sisterhood.
This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP if you plan to attend, as seating is limited.
Dates and Locations
Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Location: University Settlement, 273 Bowery @ East Hudson Street, New York, NY 10002
Time: 2:15 p.m. — 4:15 p.m.
Contact: Alison M. Smith, Community Coordinator, 212-475-5008
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Location: Stein Senior Center, 340 East 24th Street, New York, NY
Time: 1:30 p.m. — 3:30 p.m.
Contact: Robert Doxsey, Deputy Director, 646-395-8083/ext. 14
Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Location: Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, 268 Canal Street (between Lafayette and Broadway), New York, NY
Time: 5:30 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Contact: Amy Liu, Administrative Assistant, Women’s Health, 212-941-2233/ext. 2529
Date: Monday, July 18, 2011
Location: City Hall Senior Center, Lower Level, 100 Gold Street, New York, NY 10038
Time: 9:30 a.m. — 11:30 a.m.
Contact: Lily Huang, Activities Coordinator, 212-788-5580, or email lily@hmhonline.org
Date: Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Location: Good Companions Senior Center @ Henry Street Settlement, 334 Madison Street, New York, NY 10002
Time: 2:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m.
Contact: Cenci DeRomero, Activities Coordinator, 212-349-2770 ext. 204
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Location: Grand Street Settlement Senior Residence, 711 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10002
Time: 2:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m.
Contact: Carrie Chen, Senior Service Case Worker, 646-201-4260
Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Location: New York Public Library, Epiphany Branch, 228 East 23rd Street @ 23rd Street, Third Floor, New York, NY 10002
Time: 1:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.
Contact: RSVP is not required.
Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011
Location: Jewish Home Lifecare, Manhattan Division, 120 West 106th Street, New York, NY 10025
Time: 2:30 p.m. — 4:30 p.m.
Contact: Miriam Levi, Director of Community Life Activities, 212-870-4618
A discussion of the film and Q&A will follow each screening. Light refreshments will be served.
This project is made possible in part with public funds form the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.
19th Annual Children’s Concert
Sunday, March 20th, 2011, at 2:00 pm
Presented by ArtStart and the Saint Paul Civic Symphony.
For those of you in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul area:
Circle this date – March 20, 2011 – and be sure to attend the 2:00 pm pre-concert activities followed by the 3:00 pm concert held at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center, Saint Paul.
Selections for this interactive concert include: The Magic Whip by Ying Zhang for Chinese Flute and Symphony Orchestra, featuring Ying Zhang, Chinese flute virtuoso; The Tale of John Henry by Aaron Copland; and selections from The Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel.
The most important feature — besides the actual performance of the music — are the pre-concert activities where children ages 4 to teens make art and learn creative movement sequences that are incorporated into the actual performance. Rather than a ‘sit-in-your-seats’ event, the Children’s Concert is one of interaction, fun, and learning all rolled into one.
Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center
Fantasy for Chinese Flute and Orchestra
Sunday, October 24th, 2010, at 12:00 am
Photo of the world premiere of “Fantasy for Chinese Flute and Orchestra” composed by Jan Gilbery (left) on themes from “The Magic Whip” and performed by the Saint Paul Civic Symphony directed by Jeffrey Stirling (center) with flute solos by Ying Zhang (right, in blue).
The Magic Whip
Saturday, October 9th, 2010, at 12:00 am
Scenes from the world premiere of “The Magic Whip” composed by Ying Zhang and performed by members of the Saint Paul Civic Symphony.