Portland Opera To Go (POGO) presents Shizue: An American Story
November 14 @ 7:00 pm
At HRVHS: Portland Opera to Go (POGO) presents their new commission for Fall 2024, Shizue: An American Story, composed by Kenji Oh, with a libretto by Dmae Lo Roberts. This new piece illuminates the life of the remarkable poet and artist Shizue Iwatsuki. Shizue lived an extraordinary life as an inspiring artist with an adventurous spirit, in Hood River, Oregon, despite facing bigotry and imprisonment in American concentration camps with thousands of other Japanese Americans during World War II. She became a leader in her community, celebrating Japanese culture and heritage while embracing American citizenship. Through it all, Shizue embodied the concept of gaman, which means “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.”
Doors open at 6:30, curtain at 7pm. The show is just under an hour long and will be followed by a talk back with the artists, Dmae Lo Roberts (librettist/ director) and Linda Tamura, local historian and educator.
This opera is the second of Portland Opera’s Our Oregon Project, which commissions youth operas that highlight the experiences of Oregonians through a variety of lenses. This production is perfect for young audiences from 4th through 12th grade. In addition to the performance, Portland Opera offers an arts integrated curriculum and classroom visits.
More info here:
Contacts:
Alexis Hamilton, Portland Opera, ahamilton@portlandopera.org
Jennifer Graves, Hood River Valley High School, jennifer.graves@hoodriver.k12.or.us
