Asia North

Asia North 2023 / May 5 – June 3

Various locations throughout the Station North Arts District, Baltimore, MD

Celebrate Baltimore’s Charles North – Station North – neighborhood’s constantly evolving identities as a Koreatown, arts district, and creative hub. Co-produced by Asian Arts & Culture Center and Central Baltimore Partnership.

Performer, Presenter and Host Bios

Jihyeuk Choi A Korean-American cellist Jihyeuk Choi has been rapidly building his international reputation as a soloist and a chamber musician from his journey in New York City with a 4-year full scholarship at the Special Music School under the Kaufman Music Center’s sponsorship in 2014. At the age of 17, Jihyeuk Choi made his solo debut with the Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85 and Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto in A Minor, Op. 33 with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, and recital debut at Weill Recital Hall- Carnegie Hall with Brahms Sonata for Piano and Cello No.1 in E Minor, Op. 38 and Shostakovich Sonata for Piano and Cello No.1 in D Minor, Op. 40. After winning plenty of prestigious international competitions such as the 2022 MEDICI Competition, the New York International Competition, the Hong Kong International Competition, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Youth Chamber Music Competition, Choi has appeared in professional venues throughout Asia and the United States including the Weill Hall/Zankel Hall at the Carnegie Hall, the Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, the DiMenna Center, the Merkin Concert Hall, the Recanati Hall, the Bary-Uryan Hall, the Hylton Performing Arts Center, the Hong Kong City Hall, and the IBK Chamber Hall at the Seoul Arts Center. Choi has supplemented his professional studies by participating in international music festivals including the Keshet Eilon International String Mastercourse in Israel, the Clarion Society Collegium, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. 

Choi is anticipated to be conferred a Bachelor of Music degree in May after his education with a 4-year full scholarship at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of world-renowned cellist Amit Peled, and cellist Jihyeuk Choi will be pursuing the Master of Music degree at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of the legendary cellist and pedagogue Laurence Lesser. 

Sang-ah Choi is studying for Graduate Performance Diploma (GPD) at the Peabody institute of Johns Hopkins University receiving a fellowship as excellence in music leadership where she holds a master of music. She also received an artist diploma from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor of arts from the Korean National University of Art. 

Alex El Dahdah (born in Byblos, Lebanon - lives in Baltimore, MD.) is a filmmaker and video artist primarily focusing on collective identities, space, and memory themes. His oeuvre encompasses independent films, video art, photography, and graphic prints, examining introspectively ancestry, linguistic metaphors, and expressions of faith and identity. El Dahdah's work has been screened and exhibited in numerous film festivals and galleries in major cities such as Los Angeles, Saint Petersburg, Mumbai, Beijing, Tokyo, London, and Montreal. His film "Āh" garnered significant recognition, earning awards for Best LGBTQ Short at IndieX Film Fest and Best LGBTQ+ Film at Screen Power Film Festival. His participation in NewFilmmakers LA, hosted by the Academy Awards, further underscores his achievements.

El Dahdah's artistic journey has led him to work and study in various locations, including Byblos, Beirut, Salzburg, Dubai, San Francisco, and Baltimore. He holds a BA in Television and Film, a minor in Performing Arts, and is completing an MFA in Multidisciplinary Arts. His extensive art portfolio displays his proficiency in various media, including film/video, digital photography, and performing arts. Having worked in the film industry as an actor, director, editor, production designer, producer, and assistant director, he demonstrates both artistic versatility and a unique perspective. In his work, El Dahdah frequently works with the intersection of layered identities. His film "Āh" (2020) portrays a homosexual love story set in early post-feudal Lebanon. Other films, such as "Flash News" (2018), delve into complex relationships and societal perceptions of reality. In digital photography, "What Do You Remember from the Future?" and "Terminal X" probe memory, temporality, and the merging of space and time. With diverse experiences and an academically grounded approach, El Dahdah's interests also encompass visual identity systems and examining bureaucratic documentation as an artistic medium. Through exploring medium-specificity, art and nationalism, color symbolism, and blending cultural and religious symbols, he seeks to challenge conventional narratives and provide alternative perspectives on culture, religion, and identity.

DJ Fundad has been DJing (primarily Japanese music) in Baltimore since 2012 and founded Nippon Motion (the monthly music event: 2012-2014), Deli Fantasy (2015-2017) and A Night of Japanese New Wave & Obscure (2017-2019). He plays pop, rock, indie & dance music from Showa to Reiwa-era Japanese artists. Instagram: @xtsquintx  

Ashling Han is a multidisciplinary artist who will graduate from MICA with her MFA in Mount Royal next month. She had never practiced art before immigrating to America seven years ago. Born and raised in China, she graduated from a top medical university with a BA in biology science. In America, she is exploring art as her second life choice. Through ceramics, installation, fiber, video, sound, photography, and performance, she investigates the human condition through a mix of media. 

Being an observer, a newcomer, and an immigrant. A fire is ignited by all the differences between reality and America's pre-image. In various cultures, art is an avenue for her to comprehend the world and develop her own identity. Her medical background enables her to instantly incorporate human parts into her work. Her works discuss the life, culture, and political conflict between the two countries, and draw attention to marginalized groups. 

Hsiao-Chu Hsia is an artist from Taiwan who is now based in New York City and focuses on performance art and improvised movements. She received her master’s degree in Community Arts at Maryland Institute College of Art after a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Hsia talks about the theme of relationships, visualizing relationships between people, countries, cultures, and even between humans and nature. She is currently one of the participants in the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program at New York Foundation for the Arts and the one of the resident artists at SÍM Residency in Iceland. 

Instagram: @juliahsiartreu
Web: https://www.juliahsia.com/

Hyejin Kim leads an exciting career as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician as concertmaster and conductor. She is a violinist at Salisbury Symphony Orchestra and a violist at Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. She performed for viola and piano at An Die Musik Concert Live. Dr. Kim participates as a judge at Howard County solo and ensemble auditions, American Asian Music society International competition, and MSMTA solo competition. She attended Catholic University of America with a music scholarship, graduating with Doctor of Musical Arts, and received Master of Music from Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She won first place at 2013 American Protégé International Piano & String competition and was invited to play at Carnegie Hall in 2013. She won first place at Catholic University America concerto competition in 2008. Dr. Kim joined Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, and Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. She was a member of  Violin/Viola/Chamber faculty for 8 years at the Levine school of Music and conducted for 3 years at Bello Youth Orchestra . She has played as a solo violinist and violist at Friday Morning Music club and performs solo violin concerto and concertmaster with orchestra. You can find videos of her performances at https://www.youtube.com/c/HyejinKimviola.

Hee Kyung Lee began to learn Korean traditional dance from age 5 in South Korea. Following her passion for dance, she attended the Sunhwa Art Middle and High School in South Korea. She earned a BFA degree in Korean Traditional Dance at Ewha Woman’s University (one of South Korea's most competitive universities) in Seoul. After graduating and traveling to the U.S., she founded a Korean traditional dance school for youth groups in May 2001. Her passion and enthusiasm is focused on teaching Korean traditional dance and supporting its global outreach.  Her students have been participating in numerous community events and festivals for over 20 years. Her group performances include a Korean Fan Dance (Buchaechum) and a Drum Dance (Jangguchum). The group performs in a lively, colorful, and vibrant form with bright colors and graceful natural movements.

Yoonjung Lee is a Korean-born composer based in the United States. She continues a doctoral degree with Felipe Lara and Sky Macklay. Yoonjung works as a teaching assistant in music theory at the Johns Hopkins University of Peabody Conservatory, where she also received her master's degree. She earned her bachelor's degree in composition studying with Ju-Hwan Yu at Kookmin University, where she was awarded academic excellence and excellent performance scholarships. Yoonjung's exceptional abilities and unique perspective have earned her significant recognition throughout her career, including numerous awards and accolades. Recently, she achieved first place at the New York International Competition and was humbled to receive the commendation prize from New Jersey Senators for her contribution to the Liberation Day memorial event. Yoonjung's work for the symphony orchestra, which premiered at the Jeju International Wind Orchestra, earned her a third prize, and her composition 'Ritual Promenade' for the Sejong Symphony Band was premiered at the Centennial Hall of Yonsei University. 

Lucia Li is a visual, sound and performance artist born in Xi’an China. She graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2022.
Instagram: @lucee_ia
Web: https://www.luceeyali.com/

Miki / OTS Productions is a curator, event organizer, artist manager, artist, & performer from Baltimore, Maryland. Has been working in the Japanese artist industry and supporting Asian artists since 2008 and in performing and event organizing since the late 90s. Instagram: @otsproductionsbaltimore 

Suteera Nagavajara is a Thai classical dancer and a Thai classical musician. Since age 10 Suteera started studying Thai classical dance under the most prominent dance masters in Thailand including the late National Artist in Performing Arts Ms. Jamrieng Phuthpradab. Suteera is an artistic director of the Somapa Thai Dance Company (www.somapadance.org) based in the Washington DC area and has given numerous Thai classical dance workshops at theaters, museums, universities, as well as Broadway productions such as the King and I at the Lincoln Center in New York City in 2015.  She has performed throughout the DC area, other states in the U.S. as well as in Mexico and Chile.  

Suteera is also well-versed in a Thai classical music instrument called Saw U (two-stringed fiddle) and studies under Master Vorayot Suksaichon. Suteera is a recipient of the Maryland Traditions 2017-2018 Apprenticeship Award to study Cambodian classical music Kong Touch (small round gongs) with the National Endowment of the Arts fellowship recipient, Master Chum Ngek. She is currently on the Advisory Committee for the Regional Folklife Center at Sandy Spring Museum in Maryland. 

Nen Daiko is the taiko ensemble of Ekoji Buddhist Temple in Fairfax Station, VA. Since 1994, Nen Daiko has been entertaining audiences throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area with a repertoire that includes traditional festival songs and more contemporary compositions. Our members are from diverse backgrounds and faiths, joined by our common respect for the art of taiko, the teachings of Buddhist taiko, and our joy and exuberance for the artistic expression of taiko. The group owes much gratitude to Ekoji’s founding minister Rev. Kenryu Tsuji who provided the name “Nen,” our sister groups Soh Daiko (NY) and Hoh Daiko (NJ) for their generous mentorship, and all the causes and conditions that have allowed us to practice and share the art of taiko for the past 28 years. Since its inception, Nen Daiko has performed at many local and national events in the DC area, such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Theatre, the National Mall, the Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the NEA/NEH Presidential Commission on the Arts, the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in World War II, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and the summer Obon Festivals at Ekoji Buddhist Temple and Seabrook Buddhist Temple.

Dami Soh Schlobohm was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Maryland from the age of five. Dami studied cello with Ms. Bai Chi Chen, Dr. Franklin Cox, Jr., Ms. Gita Ladd, and Dr. Benjamin Myers-with whom she did her pedagogy training. She earned her B.A. in Cello Performance with an emphasis in Musicology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Fascinated by the many different genres of music and their representative cultures, Dami began studying the music of her heritage and traveled to Korea where she earned her Master’s degree in Korean Musicology from Seoul National University.

Using her personal experiences and understanding of music theory, Dami teaches a busy private cello studio and leads traditional Korean drumming workshops in the DC/Metro area. Dami has performed in venues ranging from beach boardwalks to concert halls and records frequently as a session cellist for Baltimore artists.

Dedicated to enriching her communities, Dami has been an adjudicator for county Solo & Ensemble Festivals, served as a board member for the Howard County Arts Council, and is currently an active board member of The Columbia Orchestra and the Asian Arts and Culture Center. 

Hideo Sekino was born in Tokyo, Japan. After learning different styles of shakuhachi playing, in 1986 he joined the Komuso Kenkyu-kai (monks of emptiness), a research organization on Komuso monks and their shakuhachi music. He has been performing honkyoku pieces since then in both Japan and the United States. Besides his involvement in the tradition of Komuso music, he has been active in collaboration with performing arts such as Butoh, Flamenco and Noh dances.
Instagram: @rakudoan
Web: https://www.komuso.com/people/people.pl?person=1106

Mohammad Rohaizad Suaidi (he/him/his) is a Queer theatre-maker and performer who has directed and conceptualized new devised works in Honolulu, Kuala Lumpur, Micronesia, New York, Singapore, and Baltimore. Rohaizad has taught at institutions of higher learning since 2002 and is currently Adjunct Professor at Towson University and UMBC, where he teaches courses in Acting, Theatre Ensemble, Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Theatre, and Queer BIPOC Theatre. He is also a trained ESL teacher who has been teaching at the Adult Learning Center in Baltimore since 2016, working with adult learners who are refugees and recent immigrants.

In 2018, Rohaizad co-founded the Asian Pasifika Arts Collective (https://baltimoreapac.org/), a non-profit organization that uses art to advocate for more diverse representation of Asian and Pacific Indigenous Americans. As an immigrant, Muslim, brown Southeast Asian, and gay cisgender man, Rohaizad is committed to creating platforms and opportunities for AAPI artists to make and present works that explore intersectionality and the community’s complex diversity.

Kittma Suksaichon is a professional khim (Thai hammered dulcimer) musician and teacher. She uses innovative methods to teach a new and unique kind of hammered dulcimer called the taksila khim invented by her husband Master Vorayot. In 2008 Master Kittima entered a national level Thai music competition and won first prize in a professional category using the taksila khim. 

She has performed widely in Thailand and abroad including Ukraine, Greece, and Malaysia. In the U.S. she performed at the Reach at the Kennedy Center, the Royal Thai Embassy, Sandy Spring Museum, and Motor House in Baltimore.

Vorayot Suksaichon is a celebrated Thai string master who specializes in saw duang (two-string fiddle with hardwood body), saw u (two-string fiddle with a coconut shell), and saw samsai (three-string spike fiddle). Master Vorayot is a virtuoso and the most celebrated string master in Thai classical music in both traditional and contemporary styles. Master Vorayot has composed Thai classical music for solo performances as well as for Thai orchestras. He also researched and created development work on the theory of Thai music. Master Vorayot has performed widely for close to 60 years at national and international levels and recorded traditional and contemporary Thai music continuously up to the present time.

Tvameva (meaning "you are" in Sanskrit) is a unique world fusion band based in the DMV. The group was founded in 2015, by the band's vocalist Arvind Venugopal as a quest to explore and blend South Indian Carnatic styled music with New Age Electronic, Classic Rock, and other musical embellishments. Tvameva has performed at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center, National Cherry Blossoms Festival, and Atlas Performing Arts Center. They have been a three-time finalist for 'Best World Music Group/Song' at Washington Music Awards (The Wammies) - in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and featured on BBC Radio. 

Vocalist and founder, Arvind Venugopal grew up in a musically gifted family. He was trained in Carnatic (South Indian Classical) music for almost a decade in Chennai, India. Arvind believes that music is divine, universal, and simplistic and the fusion of musical genres is a symbol of our shared world. He is also a founding member of The Sanctuaries - an arts collective that works on social change through arts, spirituality, and diversity. Arvind produces electronic tracks for Tvameva and has composed original soundtracks for multiple theater plays in the DC metro area. 

Multi-instrumentalist, Rahul Mukerji, is a multi-award-winning musician who has been performing for over twenty years across the U.S. and India. He has been featured on a wide array of recordings and a guest Guitar Instructor on the Shred Academy website. His pieces were featured in a movie in Singapore, and his music has been aired on national and international radio stations and featured in various animations. Mukerji has been featured in prominent international music magazines, including Vintage Guitar, Guitar Player, Songlines, and Pipeline.

Chris Mauro is longtime local musician who graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Music degree. He has played in rock, jazz, bluegrass, and World Music in the DC area over the past 50 years.

Xing Dance Theater Student Company was founded in 2021 under the auspices of Xing Dance Theater (XTS). The dancers are the most advanced students selected from the XDT Education preparatory program. XDT Education develops its own cutting-edge curriculum and follows the model of the XDT professional company. It brings professional dance education and production to young dancers providing opportunities for professional stage performances and preparing them to enter the professional dance world. XDT Student Company dancers are supported by XDT scholarships and receive technique class, XDT repertory, and actively participate in the creation and rehearsal process for new productions. Since its founding, it has performed at the DC Choreography Festival, Peabody Dance! Festival, Washington Wizards NBA Half Time Show, SpectorDance’s Choreographers Showcase in California, Detroit Dance City Festival, and the Singapore International Dance Festival. Additionally, XDT Student Company dancers have been given the opportunity to perform with the Xing Dance Theater. XDT Student Company has become the central resource of talented dancers for Xing Dance Theater.

The JHU Yong Han Lion Dance Troupe was founded in 2003 by a group of students who wanted to learn more about the culture and performance of Lion Dance. Since then, they have been performing all over the East Coast, from NYC to Raleigh. From performance experience in martial arts and lion dancing techniques at a variety of events including weddings, parades, and cultural events; the troupe offers many opportunities to share the blessings of Chinese lion dance and good luck!

Asia North 2023 partners and sponsors include TU Asian Arts & Culture Center, Central Baltimore Partnership, Station North Arts District, Motor House, The Parlor, Maryland State Arts Council, William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, Citizens of Baltimore County, John Hopkins University, Baltimore Changwon Sister City Committee, Korean American Foundation – Greater Washington, OTS Productions, Barangay Baltimore, Baltimore Xiamen Sister City Committee, Baltimore Kawasaki Sister City Committee, NAAAP Baltimore, and Baltimore Improv Group.