University Gamelan 20th Anniversary Concert, April 13 and 14 at Pitt.

Poster for the 1998 Gamelan Ensemble concert.

The University of Pittsburgh's Gamelan Ensemble, which "plays the gamelan music of the Sundanese people" of Indonesia, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with concerts on April 13 and 14. "Gamelan," explains the Department of Music,

refers to a set of predominantly percussion instruments including tuned gongs, metal-keyed instruments, and drums (as well as bowed lute and voice). Gamelan music is played as accompaniment to dance, drama, puppet theater, and martial arts, as well as for concerts of listening music. Gamelan is performed in conjunction with special occasions and to mark important life-cycle event.

Legend of the Mountain (山中传奇) and discussion with Pitt professor, March 11.

The March 11 screening of King Hu's Legend of the Mountain (山中传奇), playing Sundays in March at the Regent Square Theater, will be accompanied by an introduction by Julie Nakama of the University of Pittsburgh's Department of English.

Michael Sakamoto: Soil at Kelly Strayhorn Theater, March 9 and 10.

The Kelly Strayhorn Theater will present the "intercultural dance-theater work" Soil on March 9 and 10.

Soil is an intercultural dance-theater work conceived and directed by Michael Sakamoto and co-created with three performers who embody distinct traditions: Cambodian classical and contemporary dancer Chey Chankethya, Thai traditional and contemporary dancer Waewdao Sirisook, and Vietnamese-American contemporary dancer Nguyen Nguyen. Each of these performers’ personal histories chart humanitarian, social, and economic crises that have stemmed from colonialism, war, genocide, political turmoil and natural disaster in Southeast Asia.

Soil poses the question “Who am I?” in the context of a chaotic and globalizing transnational citizenry. Various dance forms and styles—including Western contemporary, Cambodian classical, Northern Thai traditional and folk, and butoh—are juxtaposed, remixed and revealed as rooted in the experience of everyday life as global citizens. Featuring original music by Reiko Imanishi and Shinichi Isohata.

Tickets for the 8:00 pm shows are pay-what-you-can. The Kelly Strayhorn Theater is located at 5941 Penn Ave. in East Liberty (map).

MEPPI Japan Lecture Series - A City of Consumption: The Woodblock Print Industry in Edo Japan, March 29 at Carnegie Museum of Art.

Nihonbashi (日本橋)

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania will present its next event in the MEPPI Japan Lecture Series on March 29 to kick-off a new exhibition of Utagawa Hiroshige prints at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Dr. Brenda Jordan's talk, "A City of Consumption: The Woodblock Print Industry in Edo Japan," offers a preview of the theme and the collection:

The city of Edo (Tokyo) was the largest city in the world by 1800, and a city of commercial and artistic life. In this talk, Dr. Jordan will highlight one of the defining arts of this period in Japan—the industry of the colored woodblock print. Designed and produced by a collaborative process, and sold to people from all walks of life, nineteenth century Japanese prints provide a window into Edo urban culture—what people thought was important, what they liked to do, and where their interests lay. After the lecture, the Hiroshige exhibit will be open to the attendees. This event will serve as a kickoff event for the Hiroshige exhibit, which will be open from March 31 to July 8, 2018.

Pitt hiring part-time Chinese instructors for Fall 2018.

The University of Pittsburgh's Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures is hiring part-time Chinese instructors for Fall 2018.

The Chinese Program of the East Asian Languages & Literatures Department is looking for part-time instructors of language classes for Fall 2018. Candidates must have native language proficiency, have at least a bachelor’s degree and be authorized to work for the University. Background and experience in teaching foreign languages, language pedagogy and second language acquisition is highly desirable. If interested, please send a resume or CV to xuyi@pitt.edu before March 23rd 2018 to receive full consideration.

Singaporean grindcore band Wormrot in Pittsburgh, May 29.

The Singaporean grindcore band Wormrot will play the Black Forge Coffeehouse on May 29. Tickets for the all-ages show are now available online. The Black Forge Coffee House is located at 1206 Arlington Ave. in Allentown (map).

Lunar New Year Parade, March 4 in Squirrel Hill.

Pittsburgh will host its 3rd annual Lunar New Year Parade on March 4 as the Year of the Earth Dog parade heads through Squirrel Hill. The event begins at 11:00 am at the intersection of Murray and Phillips Ave. (map) and ends five blocks north at Forbes Ave.

More than 30 organizations and groups dressed in full regalia and cultural splendor will begin their march at Murray Avenue and Phillips. The route will continue up Murray Avenue and conclude at Forbes and Murray. Joining them will be the City-award winning Allderdice High School Marching Band, Silk Elephant Thai Fire Breather, Pittsburgh Paddlefish, Minadeo K-5 Dragon, and much more!

The Grand Marshall is Karen Fung Yee, a past-president of Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) Pittsburgh, current chairperson of the Chinese Nationality Room Committee, and an active participant in (and organizer of) numerous community groups.

Japanese electronic music artist Cornelius (コーネリアス) to play in Pittsburgh, March 10.

Japanese musician Keigo Oyamada, also known as Cornelius (コーネリアス) and whose newest music can be roughly categorized as downbeat, will play at Carnegie Lecture Hall in Oakland on March 10, as part of this year's tour of US and Mexico. The Andy Warhol Museum summarizes:

We welcome Cornelius (aka Japanese multi-instrumentalist Keigo Oyamada) to the Carnegie Lecture Hall. Beginning with his 1997 release Fantasma on Matador Records, Cornelius (the name is an homage to the Planet of the Apes) gained much critical praise as the “modern day Brian Wilson” for his lush orchestral/pop arrangements and quickly became an in-demand producer working with artists such as Beck, Bloc Party, and MGMT. Oyamada’s forays into scoring films include Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the anime mega-film Ghost in the Shell Arise, as well as being a key performer in Yoko Ono’s reformed Plastic Ono Band.

Tickets for this Sound Series event are currently available online for $25 for adults or $20 for students and museum members.

AEON (株式会社イーオン) in-person interviews in Pittsburgh for teaching positions in Japan, March 24; application deadline March 12.

AEON (株式会社イーオン), a large chain of English schools in Japan, is holding in-person interviews for prospective teachers throughout the United States this spring, and will be interviewing in Pittsburgh on March 24. Those interested should submit applications online by March 12.

Pittsburgh AAPI Town Hall, "United Asian Voices for Regional Economic Empowerment," March 4 in Squirrel Hill.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs will hold its next Pittsburgh AAPI Town Hall on March 4 on the theme of "United Asian Voices for Regional Economic Empowerment."