Naomi's Road

My cousin Jessica is the soprano for the Vancouver Opera's production: Naomi's Road, which is coming to Ottawa. I have heard many cool things about this opera, so I am really happy that it is coming to town. I have copied the press release below, so others can read about it. I am about to read the book as well, and my mom has informed me that it is quite sad.

VANCOUVER OPERA

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 6, 2006

Media Contact: Doug Tuck, Vancouver Opera 604-331-4823
dtuck@vancouveropera.ca
Vancouver Opera presents
at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa
its acclaimed opera for young audiences
Naomi's Road
A touching drama of family, home, and cross-cultural understanding


Vancouver, BC ~ After inspiring nearly 50,000 children in schools and
community venues throughout British Columbia , in southern Alberta , and
in Washington State , Vancouver Opera's acclaimed opera for young
audiences and their families, Naomi's Road, continues to resonate in
profound ways. From November 1 through 12, 2006, Vancouver Opera, in
partnership with the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa , will present twenty
performances of this very moving opera at the museum.

About the Opera
Commissioned by Vancouver Opera, Naomi's Road was composed by Ramona
Luengen to a libretto by Ann Hodges and is based on the 1986 novel for
young readers by award-winning Japanese Canadian writer Joy Kogawa. Set
during World War II, the opera depicts the dramatic journey of
nine-year-old Naomi, her older brother Stephen, and their "Obasan" (aunt)
from their comfortable and happy home in Vancouver to a Japanese
internment camp in the interior of B.C. Sister and brother endure the
harshness of war, racism, bullying, and loss of family to discover the
gifts that sustain them: music, words and love. Their resilience of
spirit and the kindness of certain strangers they meet offer hope for the
future and will lead Canadian War Museum audiences to discover the power
of understanding and the beauty of compassion.

In announcing these performances, James W. Wright, VO's General Director,
said, "This meaningful work deeply touched many people, children and
adults alike, during its tour of B.C. and in locations in Alberta and
Washington State that hold their own unique memories of the Japanese
internment. We are delighted by the opportunity to share this opera with
young audiences in Ottawa , within the resonant surroundings of the
Canadian War Museum ." Added Wright, "I believe that this presentation of
Naomi's Road comes at a time in history when it is important to reflect on
the ways in which war and its by-products can not only affect the future
of nations but also forever alter the lives of children and the security
of their families. Vancouver Opera is privileged to stage a production
that has the unique ability to act as a catalyst for audiences of all ages
to enter into important dialogue on these issues."


Performance Details / Tickets
November 1-3: School performances (not open to the public)
November 4 and 5: public performances 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm each day
November 7-10: school performances (not open to the public)
November 11 and 12: public performance each day at 2:00 pm

Tickets to the public performances are now available from the Canadian War
Museum 's call centre at 1-800-555-5621 or 819-776-7014. Tickets may also
be purchased in person at the Canadian War Museum box office. Prices are
$10 for students, and $20 for adults, plus any applicable service charges.
Schools can purchase group tickets by calling 1-800-555-5621 or
819-776-7014.

About Joy Kogawa
Joy Kogawa's novel Naomi's Road is based on her 1981 award-winning adult
book Obasan, the first novel to deal with the internment of Japanese
Canadians during and after World War II. Widely admired and read, Obasan
was chosen for the Vancouver Public Library's 2005 city-wide annual book
club program, One Book One Vancouver. Joy Kogawa was born in Vancouver in
1935. Like Naomi's family in the novel, Joy's family was interned in
Slocan and later sent to Coaldale , Alberta after World War II, where Joy
taught school. Kogawa, who now lives in Toronto and Vancouver , is a
recipient of numerous honorary doctorates as well as national and
international awards for her writing. In 1986, she was named a Member of
the Order of Canada . "When I first heard that Naomi's Road was being
made into an opera for children, I had a sense of unreality," she said.
"I couldn't quite fathom it. And even today, knowing that somehow,
through some mysterious process, the story has been magically transformed
into a wholly different and wonderful medium, I still find it hard to
believe and am left somewhat stunned. It's more than a dream come true."
Adds Kogawa, "The existence of this opera tells me once again that the
unexpected is what happens -- and that there are more blessings in the air
than we can ask for or imagine. May we each walk on our own special
roads - like Naomi and [her new kindred spirit] Mitzi - with Friendship,
discovering as we go that our world is full of a loveliness that is
greater than all the grief in our lives."

The Creation Process
Vancouver Opera awarded he commission for Naomi's Road in the fall of 2003
and the process of writing and composing began. Ann Hodges penned the
libretto in the winter of 2003/2004. Composer Ramona Luengen wrote the
last notes of her score in September, 2004. That same month, the libretto
was read at a special event at the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National
Historical Site , in Steveston, B.C., (located at the site of the seizure,
in 1942, of hundreds of fishing boats owned by Japanese Canadians).

Two week-long workshops were conducted, one in the fall of 2004 and the
other in the spring of 2005, during which the work was developed and
refined. In May, 2005, portions of the opera were sung for an
international audience at the annual OPERA America conference, in Detroit
. And in early June, 2005, selections from the opera were performed at
the 2005 UBC-Laurier Institution Multiculturalism Lecture, at the Chan
Centre for the Performing Arts, in Vancouver . The performance and the
lecture, by poet and writer Roy Miki, were later broadcast on the CBC
Radio program IDEAS.


During 2005-2006, Vancouver Opera's touring production of Naomi's Road
visited more than 140 schools and community venues throughout B.C. The
experience of seeing and hearing Naomi's Road was enhanced with study
materials that were created and provided by Vancouver Opera to each school
in advance of the performance. The production also traveled to Lethbridge
, Alberta and to Seattle and Bainbridge Island , Washington . It was
enthusiastically received wherever it was performed.


Production Details

The production features original sets and costumes, designed by Christine
Reimer, which beautifully evoke the 1940s period of the opera's story and
have been cleverly engineered to fold up for touring purposes. Stage
direction is by Ann Hodges.

The musical score, for piano accompaniment and four singers, is richly
melodic and dramatic. Easily enjoyed by young audiences, the music is
also deft and sophisticated enough to be appreciated by adult audiences.
It incorporates traditional Japanese melody and its beautiful voicings and
harmonies are influenced by Ramona Luengen's experience as a composer of
choral music. The Musical Director is Leslie Uyeda.

Cast
This production reunites the four young singers and the nimble-fingered
pianist from the Spring 2006 segment of the 2005-2006 tour. Soprano
Jessica Cheung is Naomi; soprano Gina Oh is Mother, Obasan and Mitzi (a
non-Japanese girl whom Naomi befriends); tenor Sam Chung is Stephen; and
baritone Gene Wu is Father, the Trainmaster, a bully, and Rough Lock Bill
(an eccentric but kindly man who lives in the mountains above the
internment camp). The pianist is Angus Kellett. The stage manager is
David Fuller.

Support
Naomi's Road was commissioned and produced by Vancouver Opera with the
support of Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, Opera.ca,
Vancouver Foundation, RBC Foundation, Vancouver Arts Awards, The Hamber
Foundation, The Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation, and the Spirit of BC
Arts Fund.

This presentation at the Canadian war Museum is made possible with the
generous support of Ms. Yoshiko Karasawa.

Our wedding pictures

Here is the last set of "official" pictures. These were taken by my brother Francis. I call this set the authorized unofficial pictures. If anyone out there has any of our wedding pictures that they would like to share, please do - it would be nice to see them.

"Official" Pictures from the Wedding

Here are some of the pictures that Dan Benoit took for our wedding. It is located here.

The only set of pictures that I have left to upload are those that my brother Francis took with Geofford's camera.