THE JINGWEI BIRD explores the complexity of climate change and our relationship to the planet through multi-disciplinary performances with Del Sol Quartetand The Last Hoisan Poets.
“THE JINGWEI BIRD” weaves brand-new music by Asian-American composers with powerful bilingual poetry, using storytelling and mythology to deepen our understanding and awareness of the nature around us.
“THE JINGWEI BIRD” is a mythical creature that appears in the Shan-hai jing, The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a Chinese classic text (third century BC to second century AD) and compilation of mythic geography and beasts. The story of the Jingwei Bird involves Nüwa, a girl who is drowned and transformed into a bird, determined to fill up the sea one pebble at a time to protect others from perishing as she did. The story captures the importance of perseverance, even against seemingly impossible odds, and reminds us of our vital connection to the planet.
References to the Jingwei Bird can be found in the poetry carved by Chinese immigrants into the barrack walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station.
THE JINGWEI BIRD features poetry written and performed by Genny Lim & Nellie Wong of The Last Hoisan Poets.
Poets Nellie Wong, Genny Lim & Rumi. May 2022. Photo by Mark Shigenaga
Continuing the collaboration begun with The Angel Island Project, Chinese-American poets Genny Lim and Nellie Wong join the quartet to create this new program of music and poetry exploring themes of eco-futurism, climate change, and our relationship to the planet. By immersing audiences in the sound of the music, delicately woven together in conversation with the poetry, the artists acknowledge the importance of community storytelling and the sharing of cultural knowledge across generations.
THE JINGWEI BIRD music, by Asian American composers who draw on their cultural heritage, will be curated and performed by the Del Sol Quartet.
THE JINGWEI BIRD features musical compositions by Kui Dong, Erika Oba, Huang Ruo and Meilina Tsui.
Del Sol Quartet: Benjamin Kreith & Hyeyung Sol Yoon, violins; Charlton Lee, viola; Kathryn Bates, cello. Photo: AFW Productions.
Fascinated by the feedback loop between social change, technology, and artistic innovation, the San Francisco-based Del Sol Quartet is a leading force in 21st-century chamber music. They believe that live music can, and should, happen anywhere – whether introducing Ben Johnston’s microtonal Americana at the Library of Congress or in a canyon cave, taking Aeryn Santillan’s gun-violence memorial to the streets of the Mission District, or collaborating with Huang Ruo and the anonymous Chinese poets who carved their words into the walls of the Angel Island Immigration Station. Since 1992, Del Sol has commissioned and premiered thousands of new works.
The Jingwei Bird @ India Basin Waterfront Park
FREE public performance – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2023, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm; India Basin Waterfront Park (near The Lab) Hunters Point Blvd & Hawes St., San Francisco, CA
The India Basin Waterfront Park project is a partnership between Rec and Park, Trust for Public Land, San Francisco Parks Alliance, A. Philip Randolph Institute, and the Bayview-Hunters Point community.
The India Basin Waterfront Park project is guided by an Equitable Development Plan (EDP), a first for San Francisco. It ensures that the waterfront park will benefit current Bayview-Hunters Point (BVHP) residents while preserving the culture and identity of the historic neighborhood. It provides a blueprint for delivering a park designed by and for the community while improving economic opportunity and
environmental health for its residents.
Program: JINGWEI BIRD @ India Basin Waterfront Park, San Francisco, Sunday, Oct 29, 2023
The Jingwei Bird @ Seaplane Lagoon Promenade
FREE public performance – SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2023, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm; Seaplane Lagoon Promenade, 1801 Ferry Point, Alameda, CA
Presented in partnership with DOER Marine, a free outdoor performance by the Del Sol Quartet & The Last Hoisan Poets will be held at Seaplane Lagoon Promenade in Alameda on Saturday, August 19, 2023, from 1pm – 2pm.
Those attending the 8/19 Alameda performance were also invited to stop by the Deep Ocean Explorer Store, located at 650 W Tower Ave, Alameda, CA 94501, a short walk away from Seaplane Lagoon Promenade for a special pre-performance talk with artist Leon Sun and Liz Taylor of DOER Marine presented at 11:30am, with light refreshments to follow at Seaplane Lagoon Promenade picnic area #1, 12:30pm-1:00pm.
Program: JINGWEI BIRD @ Seaplane Lagoon, Alameda, Friday, Aug 19, 2023
The Jingwei Bird @ NEMS SF Chinatown PACE Center
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2023, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm; NEMS Chinatown PACE Center, San Francisco, CA
North East Medical Services (NEMS) will host a performance on Friday, August 18, 2023 at their Chinatown PACE Center (Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) as part of promoting well-being and community for the elderly. NEMS is one of the largest community health centers in the United States targeting the medically underserved population. Based in San Francisco, the non-profit community health center offers comprehensive health care services to a variety of patients, a majority of whom are uninsured or low income. NEMS offers linguistically competent and culturally sensitive health care services in many languages and dialects, including English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Toishan, Vietnamese, Burmese, Korean, Spanish, and Hindi.
Program: JINGWEI BIRD @ NEMS SF Chinatown, Friday, Aug 18, 2023