How did your experience with the Civic Orchestra shape your personal and professional development as a musician?
It was during my Civic Fellowship that I enthusiastically decided to pivot to a career in academia. The diversity of the activities we did as Civic Fellows on any given day—rehearsing with the orchestra in Symphony Center one hour, teaching middle schoolers across town the next hour, doing community organizing with local advocates in the afternoon, performing chamber music back at the hall to end the day, to name just a few—showed me how joyous I felt when I had opportunities engage with the full spectrum of my artistry. Those activities also taught me that I was good at doing many things beyond playing the bassoon! One event in particular moved me in a huge way: when the Fellows attended a guest talk with a local dancer turned social worker. His activism in the social work discipline motivated me to earn a degree in social work on top of my career path as a bassoonist. Today, I proudly credit Civic for helping to inspire me to pursue a lifelong interdisciplinary exploration of how we can integrate music with education, social justice, and radical healing.
What advice would you give to current Civic Orchestra members or aspiring musicians looking to make their mark in the industry?
Many of us received our music training in oppressive environments which instilled painful beliefs that prevent us from being the artists we want to be. It’s okay to use the time in Civic to question, unlearn, and heal from what has caused us harm. I needed permission to follow my artistic impulses and pursue creative activities that felt authentic to me. So, if anyone else needs it—permission granted!
What are you currently working on in your music career, and what excites you most about it?
I am composing an album that uses bassoon and electronics to investigate my Asian American family’s historical trauma and resilience. Research for the album has taken me to the camp where my Japanese ancestors were incarcerated during World War II, the hypocenter of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, and the hometowns my grandparents left when they emigrated from the Philippines. On a professional level, I am privileged to engage with both of my disciplines by integrating bassoon performance and healing-centered social work; on a personal level, I am honored that my artistic practice allows me to do autoethnography, pilgrimage, and ancestor veneration with my instrument in hand.
