Three Communities, One World!

This program is sponsored in part by the Tournament of Roses Foundation
June 3, 2022

Three Communities, One World!

Bridging Cultures
A fascinating evening of cross-cultural and diverse ethnic music performances
Pasadena City College
Westerbeck Concert Hall
1570 E Colorado Bl
Pasadena, Ca 91106
General Admission $15.00
June 3, 2022
7:00 PM
Free Parking
$2.00
Featuring
Grammy Nominee
Luis Villegas
Latin Guitar
​Mijan Owens
Gospel, Spirituals Classic Vocalist
Silk Trio
Asian American String Trio

Yihan Chen
Pipa
Qin Xiang
Erhu
Haowei Cheng
​Guzheng​​
Christopher Garcia
Meso-American Percussionist
Register 
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Grammy Nominee

Luis Villegas, Latin Guitar

​Luis Villegas is a Mexican American guitarist best known for his debut CD Cafe Olé, which mixed new age music, flamenco, and jazz and garnered a spot on the Grammy ballot for Best New Age Album of the Year in 1999. He is known for using a technique of playing fast, intricate lines by using the fingernail of his right index finger in place of a guitar pick. He also had a small role, as a member of a band, in the film Collateral starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Currently, he is a member of the group "Heavy Mellow" along with founder Benjamin Woods and percussionist Mike Bennett.
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Mijan Owens

Mijan‌ ‌burst‌ ‌onto‌ ‌the‌ ‌scene‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌late‌ ‌90s ‌with‌ ‌Garage‌ Gospel House Dance ‌classics.‌ ‌Her‌ ‌massive‌ ‌#1‌ ‌hit‌ ‌“Alright”‌ ‌on‌ ‌95‌ ‌North‌ ‌Records.‌ ‌‌She’s known for her classic hits “Save Your Soul”, “Music Is Life”, The Way I’m Feeling” and “Do You Love Me”, which was‌ ‌Billboard‌ ‌charted.‌ ‌Mijan‌ ‌graced‌ ‌many‌ ‌stages,‌ ‌throughout‌ ‌Europe,‌ ‌the United States and‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌Agape‌ ‌Spiritual International ‌ ‌Choir.‌ She won numerous times the famous Apollo Theater. Mijan‌ ‌became‌ ‌the‌ ‌Top‌ ‌100Artist on Traxsource. She released‌ ‌a‌ ‌remix‌ ‌of‌ ‌Rickie‌ ‌Byars‌ ‌record‌ ‌“From‌ ‌Within”,‌ ‌it‌ ‌was‌ ‌#5‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌Dance‌ ‌Charts.‌ ‌Mijan’s‌ new‌ ‌release‌ ‌Love‌ ‌&‌ ‌Happiness‌ ‌a‌ ‌classic‌ ‌by‌ ‌Al‌ ‌Green‌ ‌&‌ ‌Teenie‌ ‌Hodges, a reinterpretation produced by Groove Junkies.‌ ‌Its‌ soaring Traxsource‌ ‌Top‌ ‌10‌ ‌Soul/Funk/Disco‌ Charts ‌&‌ ‌Top‌ ‌100‌ ‌Tracks. The powerhouse diva has performed with Stevie Wonder, Pattie Labelle, 1001 Black Inventions and countless events: Spirit Awakening Voices Unheard, and more. Mijan is now recording new music and is one of the guest vocalist member at Agape International Spiritual Choir.​
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Mijan Owens

Yihan Chen is an internationally renowned pipa virtuoso and educator. Yihan has performed at leading venues in Asia, North America and Europe, including the Lincoln Center Festival, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, Spoleto Festival USA, the World Stage Series at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Festival de Création Musicale (Radio France), La Cité de la Musique, Le Festival Avignon, Le Festival Musique en Scène, Encontros Acarte Portugal, and Winnipeg Symphony’s New Music Festival. She was the resident pipa soloist with Huaxia Chamber Ensemble in Beijing and Music From China in New York City.

​She has collaborated with such award-winning composers as Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Chen Qigang and Bright Sheng. She has also recorded with PRISM Quartet, Chicago's Civitas Ensemble, Testament's Alex Skolnick, and Eric Moe. She was a prize winner of international accolades such as 1995 Freedom International Chinese Instrument Competition and the 1989 Art Cup. She graduated from China Conservatory of Music, Beijing in 1995. 

Qin Xiang​

Qin Xiang, a well-known erhu virtuoso, was born in the famous Xiang family of music inChina. She won the gold prize in the first Cuckoo Cup Competition. She also won the silver prize in the National Children’s Folk Music Competition.

Since she immigrated to the USA, Ms. Xiang has performed at leading venues such as KodakTheater, Hollywood Bowl, the San Gabriel Theater, Universal Studio, Disneyland, Las Vegas,etc. She has collaborated with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Balluff Symphony Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. She was invited by the famous pop singer Jay Chou to participate in his World Tour as an erhu soloist and collaborated with A Thousand Miles Away. Ms. Xiang is currently the director o Zhonghua Chinese Orchestra.​

Haowei Cheng

Haowei Cheng guzheng soloist, who received a B.S. degree of guzheng performance from Nanjing Arts University in 2015 and the M.S. degree of Music Education from Auburn University in 2020.
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During her graduate studies, she was employed by the International Cultural Center of Auburn University as a campus ambassador. She actively organized and participated in 2019 Chinese New Year Gala and traditional Chinese culture publicity lectures; she has taken an active part in a number of cultural publicity activities in various countries. She is a past vice president of the Auburn University Student and Scholars Organization. She is currently a guzheng soloist of Zhonghua Chinese Orchestra-USA.

Christopher Garcia

Christopher Garcia is a Meso American percussionist performer/composer/improviser/educator who continues to garner critical and popular acclaim in 28 countries on 5 continents for his original compositions for indigenous breath and percussion instruments of Mesoamerica/Mexico and India alongside either classical guitar, marimba, pedal harp, piano, violin, woodwind quintet and/or mixed chamber ensemble in acoustic and/or electronic settings. He is also a frequent featured soloist on these instruments with chamber and symphonic orchestras in Europe and the Americas.
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Dr. Pamela Short Powell

Dr. Pamela Short Powell, host is a retired Superintendent. She served as the Superintendent of Schools for Inglewood Unified School District; Interim Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer for the Oklahoma City Public Schools; Assistant Superintendent, Director of Elementary Education, and Principal in PUSD. She was the Chief Executive Director of the Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership with the Los Angeles Urban League and LAUSD. Dr. Powell was the President of the California Association of African American Superintendents and Administrators and is President of the National Council on Educating Black Children. She has been on numerous Boards focused education, the arts and community empowerment.
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She is active in her community, advocating for children, youth, and seniors.

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This program ​will explore how music styles across races and nationalities can express their unique identities and shared emotions through musical collaboration.

Clazzical Notes partners with USC Pacific Asia Lunar New Year Program