• Vân-Ánh Võ and Blood Moon Orchestra Program Book
  • Vân-Ánh Võ and Blood Moon Orchestra Program Book
Program Books/Vân-Ánh Võ and the Blood Moon Orchestra

Vân-Ánh Võ and the Blood Moon Orchestra
Songs of Strength
(World Premiere)

Dec 4, 2021
Zellerbach Playhouse

Kev Choice, lyrics and rap
Joel Davel, marimba lumina
Kai Echkardt, electric bass
Tunjie, breakdance and contemporary ballet
Jimi Nakagawa, percussions and taiko drums
Mahsa Vahdat, lyrics and vocals
Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, orchestra lead, zither, monochord, bamboo xylophone, lyrics, and vocals

This performance is made possible, in part, by Patron Sponsors Jerome and Thao Dodson.

The run time for this performance is approximately 70 minutes, without intermission.

Songs

* Written for Blood Moon Orchestra
† Arranged for Blood Moon Orchestra

Songs of Strength was made possible, in part, by grants from the MAP Fund, Center for Cultural Innovation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, and the Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund also supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Please note: This performance will employ the use of strobe lights and a fog machine, and empty and harmless artillery shells will be used as gongs.

From the Executive and Artistic Director

Jeremy Geffen

With the fast-approaching end of Fall Semester—and as we move towards the holidays—things are unusually busy on the UC Berkeley campus. The same can be said about Cal Performances, where—this weekend alone—we’ll enjoy visits by an array of world-class talent: the Bay Area’s beloved Kronos Quartet with special guest, Persian classical and world music vocalist and composer Mahsa Vahdat (Dec 2); musical polymath Damien Sneed with his delightful Joy to the World: A Christmas Musical Journey program (Dec 3); riveting performer of the 16-string dan tranh (zither) Vân-Ánh Võ and her acclaimed Blood Moon Orchestra in an exciting world premiere (Dec 4); and two of the brightest lights of their generation—choreographer/dancer Caleb Teicher (and their amazing dance company) and pianist Conrad Tao in the Bay Area premiere of More Forever, a fresh, new music and dance collaboration. I’m so happy you could join us during what promises to be a memorable weekend; it’s wonderful that we can gather together again, enjoying great live performances under the same roof!

This robust activity is especially meaningful this year, following such a prolonged period of shutdown! When the pandemic forced Cal Performances to close its doors in March 2020, no one could have imagined what lay ahead. Since then, we’ve witnessed a worldwide health crisis unlike any experienced during our lifetimes, an extended period of political turmoil, recurring incidents of civil unrest and racially motivated violence, and a consciousness-raising human rights movement that has forever—and significantly—changed how each of us views social justice in our time.

Of course, the pandemic remains with us to this date and future challenges—including many adjustments to “normal’ procedures and policies—can certainly be expected. I encourage you to check Cal Per­formances’ website regularly for the most current information regarding our COVID-19 response. First and foremost, I assure you that there is nothing more important to us than the health and safety of our audience, artists, and staff. (And I remind one and all that proof of vaccination is mandatory today, as is protective masking throughout the event.)

Our season continues later this month with an exciting return concert by jazz phenom Jazzmeia Horn, a hit on last year’s Cal Performances at Home streaming season (Dec 10); the ever-popular Canadian Brass with its festive Making Spirits Bright for 50 Years and Counting! holiday program (Dec 11); and the long-awaited return to Zellerbach Hall (the group’s favorite home-away-from home) by the great Mark Morris Dance Group (Dec 17–19). And our full 2021–22 calendar offers even more, packed with the kind of adventurous and ambitious programming you’ve come to expect from Cal Performances. In particular, I want to direct your attention to this year’s Illuminations: “Place and Displacement” programming, through which we’ll explore both loss and renewal, disempowerment and hope, while seeking paths forward for reclaiming and celebrating vital cultural connections that can fall victim to political and social upheaval.

Please take the opportunity to explore the complete schedule through our website and season brochure and begin planning your performance calendar; now is the perfect time to guarantee that you have the best seats for all the events you plan to attend.

Throughout history, the performing arts have survived incredible challenges: periods of war, economic collapse, and, yes, terrible disease. And if it will take time for us—collectively and individually—to process the events of the past 18 months, I’m certain that the arts have the power to play a critical role as we come to terms with what we have experienced and move together toward recovery.

I know you join us in looking forward to what lies ahead, to coming together once again to encounter the life-changing experiences that only the live performing arts deliver. We can’t wait to share it all with you during the coming year.

Cal Performances is back. Welcome home!

Jeremy Geffen
Executive and Artistic Director, Cal Performances

Jeremy GeffenWith the fast-approaching end of Fall Semester—and as we move towards the holidays—things are unusually busy on the UC Berkeley campus. The same can be said about Cal Performances, where—this weekend alone—we’ll enjoy visits by an array of world-class talent: the Bay Area’s beloved Kronos Quartet with special guest, Persian classical and world music vocalist and composer Mahsa Vahdat (Dec 2); musical polymath Damien Sneed with his delightful Joy to the World: A Christmas Musical Journey program (Dec 3); riveting performer of the 16-string dan tranh (zither) Vân-Ánh Võ and her acclaimed Blood Moon Orchestra in an exciting world premiere (Dec 4); and two of the brightest lights of their generation—choreographer/dancer Caleb Teicher (and their amazing dance company) and pianist Conrad Tao in the Bay Area premiere of More Forever, a fresh, new music and dance collaboration. I’m so happy you could join us during what promises to be a memorable weekend; it’s wonderful that we can gather together again, enjoying great live performances under the same roof!

This robust activity is especially meaningful this year, following such a prolonged period of shutdown! When the pandemic forced Cal Performances to close its doors in March 2020, no one could have imagined what lay ahead. Since then, we’ve witnessed a worldwide health crisis unlike any experienced during our lifetimes, an extended period of political turmoil, recurring incidents of civil unrest and racially motivated violence, and a consciousness-raising human rights movement that has forever—and significantly—changed how each of us views social justice in our time.

Of course, the pandemic remains with us to this date and future challenges—including many adjustments to “normal’ procedures and policies—can certainly be expected. I encourage you to check Cal Per­formances’ website regularly for the most current information regarding our COVID-19 response. First and foremost, I assure you that there is nothing more important to us than the health and safety of our audience, artists, and staff. (And I remind one and all that proof of vaccination is mandatory today, as is protective masking throughout the event.)

Our season continues later this month with an exciting return concert by jazz phenom Jazzmeia Horn, a hit on last year’s Cal Performances at Home streaming season (Dec 10); the ever-popular Canadian Brass with its festive Making Spirits Bright for 50 Years and Counting! holiday program (Dec 11); and the long-awaited return to Zellerbach Hall (the group’s favorite home-away-from home) by the great Mark Morris Dance Group (Dec 17–19). And our full 2021–22 calendar offers even more, packed with the kind of adventurous and ambitious programming you’ve come to expect from Cal Performances. In particular, I want to direct your attention to this year’s Illuminations: “Place and Displacement” programming, through which we’ll explore both loss and renewal, disempowerment and hope, while seeking paths forward for reclaiming and celebrating vital cultural connections that can fall victim to political and social upheaval.

Please take the opportunity to explore the complete schedule through our website and season brochure and begin planning your performance calendar; now is the perfect time to guarantee that you have the best seats for all the events you plan to attend.

Throughout history, the performing arts have survived incredible challenges: periods of war, economic collapse, and, yes, terrible disease. And if it will take time for us—collectively and individually—to process the events of the past 18 months, I’m certain that the arts have the power to play a critical role as we come to terms with what we have experienced and move together toward recovery.

I know you join us in looking forward to what lies ahead, to coming together once again to encounter the life-changing experiences that only the live performing arts deliver. We can’t wait to share it all with you during the coming year.

Cal Performances is back. Welcome home!

Jeremy Geffen
Executive and Artistic Director, Cal Performances

Officially launched in August 2021, BLOOD MOON ORCHESTRA is a global musical collective whose mission is to advance traditional music through innovation, cross-genre collaboration, and social impact education. By relentlessly charting new pathways for artistic expressions, Blood Moon Orchestra aims to make unequivocal the role of traditional music in forging radical possibilities for the future. Blood Moon Orches­tra seeks not only to preserve but also to propel traditional arts into the 21st century and beyond, and in doing so, create a vision for and commitment to a more expressive, connected, and socially just world.

Credits

PRODUCTION TEAM
Allen Willner, lighting design
Jesse Austin, sound design
Pamela Wu, creative consultant
Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ, artistic director

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
From Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ
I wish to express my deepest thanks to my husband, Steven Huỳnh, and my two daughters, Nicole Huỳnh and Andrea Huỳnh, for their unconditional love and support. My extended gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Jerome and Thao Dodson, Dr. Alexander Cannon, the Kochan Family, Ms. Thiên-Nhiên Lương, Ms. Cathy Lâm, Mr. Mike Kane, Ms. Linh Huynh Howard, and Ms. Hăng Lê Tô for their sponsorship, encouragement, and guidance over the years.

Special acknowledgement for the Blood Moon Orchestra Board of Directors: Thuận Lê and Geoff Adam, Irene Nguyễn and Ron Lue-sang, Khuyên Vũ Nguyễn, and Ashley Walker.

Ashley Walker and Khuyên Vũ Nguyễn deserve kudos for their incredible work on the program book.

Warmest appreciation for my fellow artists and collaborators on this project: Kev Choice, Joel Davel, Kai Echkardt, Jimi Nakagawa, Tunjie, and Mahsa Vahdat.

This project could not have come to fruition with the generous support of the following organizations:
Vietnamese American Non-Governmental Network (VANGO)
Âu Cơ Vietnamese Cultural Center
Vietnamese Educational and Cultural Association (VECA)
Việt Báo Daily News

Finally, many thanks to the entire staff of Cal Performances and our sponsors, supporters, and volunteers for making this project possible.

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