47 years ago, a young woman and a young man decided to create works of art that would change the hearts and minds of people so that together, all of us could make the world a better place.
Thus was born...
FIRST VOICE
The Home of
Culture Bearers, Wisdom Keepers & Truth Tellers since 1976
Presented by
BRENDA WONG AOKI & MARK IZU
Up Next…
Soul of The City
PERFORMANCE & LIVE FILMING
Presidio Theatre
Saturday, June 1st at 7PM
Sunday, June 2nd at 4PM
The Storyteller's Quest: Rediscovering the Soul of San Francisco
The Storyteller's beloved city, San Francisco, seems to have lost its way. Does a city have a soul? This perplexing question haunts The Storyteller. Feeling useless and lost, set upon by demons and ghosts, she hovers between life and death. Four precious talismans - a jade bracelet, a fan, a necklace, and a music box - the touchstones of her life, comfort her. Based on autobiographical stories of her mixed ethnic family tree, Master Storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki takes us on a magical journey to find the soul of San Francisco. Her precious talismans, like time capsules, reveal her rich family history that's woven into the origins of San Francisco Japantown and Chinatown. Remembering these stories, she realizes that her family was instrumental in the creation of San Francisco Japantown and that her family stories are reflections of lived American history - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Each of us has a story. Our stories connect with one another and over time, these stories become one big story. This Story lives on, long after its storytellers are gone and becomes the "Soul of the City."
Celebrating the birthplace of Asia America, San Francisco, this show merges traditional arts, jazz, spoken word, dance, puppets, a dragon, digital collage to tell the story of one family's 127 years in the city. It will be captured live by Emmy award-winning filmmakers Emiko Omori and Wendy Slick.
Photo by Terry Lorant
PAST PERFORMANCES
Saturday, September 30th, 2023 at 7pm
&
Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 4pm
Soul of the City (2023)
World Premiere
Soul of The City follows a storyteller who has no more stories to tell. Her husband is sick, her boy has moved away, and nobody is buying the stories she’s trying to tell. Pursued by demons and haunted by ghosts, the storyteller embarks on a journey to find the soul of San Francisco. This multimedia music drama is a ritual performance. Rooted in traditional Japanese theater and music and infused with contemporary spoken word and Asian American Jazz, Soul of The City reveals the divine in us all.
The audience is invited to dress in celebratory attire and will gather in the garden to put prayers, photographs or talisman on the Soul of The City sacred tree. A Buddhist priest will bless us with a purification ceremony and willing participants will be given temple bells to call the ancestors. We will then go inside the theater. The audience will witness a ritual performance of jazz, storytelling, and poetry that is accompanied by photographs and images of Brenda’s family in San Francisco since the 1800’s. At the conclusion of the performance we will return to the garden for refreshments, renewed, recharged and inspired to carry on.
June 17th, 2023
A First Voice Moment
of Music and Dance
Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora:
We never die
May 20 2023
AAPI HERITAGE MONTH IS HERE!
"During the month of May, explore Asian American & Pacific Islander culture through films, foods, and books. The APA Heritage Foundation works with our Official Celebration Partners the Asian Art Museum, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and the San Francisco Public Library to compile a Celebration Guide with a list of activities and events in the San Francisco Bay Area taking place in May." (apasf.gov)
Want to help spread the word about AAPI Heritage Month?
Facebook: @APAHERITAGESF
Instagram: @APASF
Twitter: @APAHERITAGES
Our Mission
First Voice’s mission is to create and present the stories and music of people living between worlds. We are the nation’s only arts organization dedicated to multiracial people, one of the fastest growing demographics in the US. Through the pursuit of this distinct purpose, co-founders Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu have contributed to the American cultural canon since 1976. Our core programming is creating, presenting, recording, and producing multidisciplinary new work rooted in this mission.
We are YBCA 2023 Honorees!
" Launched in 2014, the YBCA 100 list publicly celebrates artists, activists, and leaders who are committed to building regenerative and equitable communities. These fierce innovators work steadfastly through art and activism to provoke, inspire, ground, heal, and bring us together when we need it most." (YBCA)
In previous years, the YBCA 100 list has included national and international honorees. This year YBCA decided to focus on local Bay Area individuals and organizations. As artists who have been telling the stories of San Francisco since 1976, we are especially excited to be recipients of this year's award. We are proud to live in this city and make art that speaks to its history, cultural complexity, and collective resilience.
Our Artists and Collaborators Past and Present
Click thumbnails to view titles and dates of artworks
Brenda & Mark Awarded MAP Fund 2019
“J-town, Chinatown: Our Town” – a multidisciplinary and multimedia work, written by Brenda Wong Aoki, scored by award-winning jazz musician Mark Izu with Chinese & Japanese American home movies by Stephen Gong of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)
Brenda Wong Aoki and CAAM Awarded 2018 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission
for “J-Town, Chinatown, Our Town”
PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
[for more, visit our Press Page]
Gallery of First Voice
Stay in touch!
Celebrating 40 Years As A Performing Arts Duo
NBC Bay Area features Brenda and Mark as "master storyteller" and "Emmy Award Winning Composer" on their 40th anniversary
