In observance of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Symphony Tacoma is pleased to present Tacoma Method: Three Arias Performed by Hai-Ting Chinn on Saturday, May 22, 2021. The songs are from Tacoma Method, an opera composed by Pacific Lutheran University professor and local composer Dr. Gregory Youtz based on the expulsion of the Chinese American population from Tacoma in 1885. Symphony Tacoma was to premiere this piece in November 2020 but it was postponed due to COVID-19.
The arias were performed by mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn and produced by videographer Jasper Davis in New York City earlier this year. Each of the arias—This is My Home, My Little Cup and Mad, Am I Mad—follows the journey of one character, Mrs. Lum May, as the reality of the disintegration of her community comes to light.
On April 24, Youtz hosted a conversation with Chinn, Davis and librettist Zhang Er which was broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook. The creative team discussed the opera, common themes still occurring today, and the making of the music videos during a pandemic.
Symphony Tacoma will present concert excerpts from the full opera live in an upcoming season. Tacoma Method is presented in conjunction with Tacoma’s Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation.
