Asians in Art

Tharanga Goonetilleke is one of opera's most distinctive voices — and one of its most thoughtful minds. We talk to her about her origins, the teachers who changed everything, taking her gift and passion to global audiences on stage, in TED talks and in classrooms, and a question that sits at the heart of art: what is the point of artistic expression?

Artwork courtesy of Tharanga Goonetilleke

Learn more about Tharanga at: https://www.tharangagoonetilleke.com

Her music and TED Talks https://www.tharangagoonetilleke.com/listen

Her artwork https://www.th...

Peter Lin is a Taiwanese-American trombonist, producer, and educator based in New Jersey & New York City. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and raised in northern New Jersey. His parents love classical and Christian rock music.

So how did he find his way into jazz? In this episode of Asians in Art, we unpack Peter's story – from school band to quartet – exploring what jazz means to him, his love of Anime and how his cultural heritage became a source of inspiration.

Music courtesy of:

Peter Lin - Sweet as Honey from...

Tom Hanks called him “Mr. Badass”. He’s been described as a “bro-ish menace” as Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice and an “actor of the first order” as Prince Hal in Henry IV I. This episode of Asians in Art features the award-winning actor, writer, and narrator David Lee Huynh.

He talks about the challenges of growing up in Louisiana as a child of Vietnamese immigrants to acting in Shakespeare plays and lending his versatile voice to numerous characters in audiobooks, including Superman from the DC Comics franchise.

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What have our guests been up to since we last spoke with them? From books to music awards to exhibitions, we give you the latest.

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Music: Justin Jen Video Editor: Szewah Chin Social Producer: Karuna Shinsho Producers: Szewah Chin, Karuna Shinsho Exec Producers: Szewah Chin, Karuna Shinsho

It's said that history is written in stone, but playwright Lauren Yee finds it in the ordinary, whether in the groove of a Cambodian psych-rock record, at a basketball game in Beijing 1989 or in 1990s post-Soviet Union.

San Francisco-born Yee has made a career of exploring the crossover of the personal and the political, finding humor in the heart of great historical change.

In this episode of Asians in Art, we trace her trajectory from a childhood interest in storytelling to her position as one of the most vital voices in US theater.

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How has acting changed? What does it mean to be an Asian American working actor? In this episode, actors Jo Mei and Kenneth Lee discuss a life devoted to acting, the essence of acting and the drive for greater representation of Asian Americans in movies, television, and theater productions.

Kenneth Lee is an accomplished actor and advocate known for his versatility across major international stages and television. He famously originated the leading role of Hsu in Matt Charman’s The Machine, performing at the Park Avenue Armory, Donmar Warehouse, and the Manchester International Festival. His ex...

For this episode of Asians in Art, we spoke with interdisciplinary artist Xyza Cruz Bacani at her most recent installation, The Diaspora is Home, at Flux IV in New York.

At the age of 19, Xyza travelled from Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya to join her mother in Hong Kong, to work as a nanny for an affluent family. Bacani started taking casual photographs after purchasing her first digital single-lens reflex camera with a loan from her employer.

She is known for her black-and-white photographs of Hong Kong and documentary projects about migration and the intersections of labor...

Nancy Matsumoto is an award-winning author who writes about agroecology, food sovereignty, the vibrant world of food and drink, and Japanese American culture and history.

Her latest book, Reaping What She Sows: How Women Are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System, shares the stories of female changemakers who are innovating shorter and more transparent food supply chains that prioritize sustainability and equity – against the odds.

A third-generation Japanese American and holder of three sake certifications, she is the co-author of the James Beard award-winning Exploring the World of Japanese Craft Sake (Tuttle Publishing, 2022). Her book, By th...

A big thank you to Michael Parloff and the Parlance Chamber Concerts for providing us with the footage of Seth Morris on flute and Mariko Anraku on harp, playing the Cadenza from the first movement of Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto. And a big heartfelt thanks to Alexis Spieldenner at Bravo Niagara, for providing us with the footage for Kimiko's Pearl, composed by Kevin Lau, featuring Mariko Anraku on harp, Conrad Chow on violin, Ron Korb on Japanese shinobue and concert flute, bass flute, and Rachel Mercer on cello. Recorded, mixed and sound designed by Aaron Tsang.

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Asians in Art kicks off with British-Chinese film director Po Chih Leong, a pioneer who has charted his own distinct film making path, and whose films helped reshape Hong Kong’s cinematic landscape.

Throughout his career, Leong has used drama and comedy to explore the cultural tensions between East and West and the resilience of humanity amid violence and chaos.

Join Karuna, Szewah and Po Chih as they discuss his films, the diaspora experience and his biggest creative influence.

This podcast features Jumping Ash (1976), Hong Kong 1941 (1986) starring Chow Yun Fat, Cecilia Yip and Alex...