Carnegie Hall Fundraiser for Victims of the October 2005 Earthquake in South Asia

Conductor George Mathew leads a specially formed orchestra and chorus in a benefit performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, Monday, January 23, 2006 at 7:30 pm. Organized by Mathew to to raise funds and awareness for the survivors of the October 2005 cataclysmic event in South Asia that left 3 million people homeless, the targeted goal is $500,000.

The performance features a quartet of both renowned veterans and rising stars and a chorus of 150-200 assembled from the major choral ensembles in New York City. Musicians from the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Albany Symphony Orchestra, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta (The Netherlands), Brentano and Emerson Quartets, students, graduates and faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard School, and Mannes College of Music will be participating.

Mr. Mathew, who is also the Artistic Director, conceived the idea of bringing together some of the world's finest orchestral players, to perform Beethoven's masterpiece in a politically neutral setting to help those suffering from the ravages of the harsh conditions in the mountainous regions of a stricken land.

Tax deductible tickets range in price from $30.00 to $175.00 and...

December 28, 2011

This one is all about Asian connections.

It began at Bellaken Garden, a skilled nursing care facility in East Oakland, where my mother, Connie, has been staying since August. I’ve been visiting there twice a week, crossing the Bay Bridge from San Francisco and popping in with potstickers from a nearby takeout restaurant.

For months, I’d seen this thin, white-haired woman seated in the lobby area, across from one of the dining rooms. After a while, we’d exchange smiles and hellos. I’d noticed her mainly because she always had a transistor radio with her. Being a radio columnist and occasional DJ, I asked what she was listening to. “Baseball,” she said. She was an avid San Francisco Giants fan, kept notes on their games, and kept their radio schedule close to her, all on a shelf of her walker. Her son, Jonathan, I would learn, works as a concessions cashier for both the Giants and the 49ers, so she was a football fan, too. We could talk.

I decided to do a little shout-out to her in my Radio Waves column in the San Francisco Chronicle, learned her name – June Kwei – and told her to watch for the mention. She appeared delighted, although I never properly introduced myself. Bad manners. (In Cantonese, “bad” is pronounced “kwei.”) Anyway, on December 11, the item ran, ending with “Holiday cheers to June Kwei.”

That evening, I received an email from a “Dede.” It was Mrs. Kwei’s daughter. I couldn’t believe it. Here’s most...

Columbus, Ohio

Friday November 9, 2012 renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz will have a conversation with Rolling Stone's co-founder, publisher, and editor Jann S. Wenner at the Wexner Center for the Arts Mershon Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio.

Their collaboration at Rolling Stone in the 1970s is legendary. Their subsequent—and independent—roles are also legendary as interpreters and shapers of the social, cultural, and political history of America. This event is part of a public celebration of the prestigious Wexner Prize which will be presented in a ceremony to Ms. Leibovitz on Saturday November 10. 

Annie Leibovitz Photo by Nick Rogers courtesy of Leibovitz Studio © 2012 

Annie Leibovitz is the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Wexner Prize which recognizes an artist whose work reflects exceptional innovation and the highest standards of artistic quality and integrity.  

A major presentation of work of more than 200 photographs by Annie Leibovitz is on view now through December 30, 2012 at the Wexner Center for the Arts on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio.

The Wexner Center is the first institution to be able to exhibit the complete "Master Set" which is a collection of 156 photographs personally selected by Annie Leibovitz. The exhibition will include photographs from her recent book "Pilgrimage," a project featuring interiors, landscapes and talismanic objects attached to historical figures...

If you know Rain, BoA (shown left), and Sistar, then you already know K-Pop, Korea’s contemporary pop music and its artists.

K-Pop music is one of the fastest growing music genres in the world, and along with Korea’s popular TV drama serials, films and comic books are a growing source of export revenue for Korea.  

The growing global fan base of Korea's entertainment and cultural offerings, known as "Hallyu" or the "Korean Wave" feels more like a tidal wave in some countries. In France, for example, fans mostly in their youth sold out a concert in Paris reportedly in fifteen minutes. Several hundred fans who missed out on tickets held a rally and danced to K-Pop music in front of the Louvre Museum campaigning for a second concert. They got their wish for a second concert which also sold out in minutes. Aflash mob as witnessed by this YouTube video shows hundreds of fans from all ethnicities crowding the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris last June, 2011 to welcome their favorite K-Pop artists. (image right)

On December 31, 2011 Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choe Kwang-shik announced a 2012 policy to expand support of Hallyu, to help keep the wave of Korean pop culture surging across its borders. The Korean government also hopes to attract more Hallyu fans into the areas of food, tourism, fashion and other cultural and entertainment offerings.

Leaders from Hollywood and S. Korea’s entertainment industry and academia convened in...

An exclusive interview with Jefferson Starship creator Paul Kantner will be posted soon - stay tuned! - AC Team

Jefferson Starship is set to perform its 2,000th concert!

Hear the music artists who helped defined a generation foused on civil rights, environmental awareness and anti-war activism.

Don't miss this rare, once-in-a-lifetime event at the Rrazz Room, San Francisco's Premier nightcub January 25-29, 2012. 

Paul Kantner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Jefferson Airplane creator will perform with David Freiberg, a former Jefferson Airplane member and co-founder of Quicksilver Messenger Service. The original band members will be joined by Grammy nominated lead vocalist Cathy Richardson who starred on Broadway in "Love, Janis," and keyboardist/bassist Chris Smith who joined the band in 1998 after years with The Supremes.

Kantner and Freiberg, descended from Jefferson Airplane, performed at Monterey, Woodstock, and Altamont with the Rolling Stones, sharing the bill with the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin.

Kantner says that surprise artists will be added to the concerts to celebrate this historic occasion.