Decoding the Year of the Monkey with the Chinese Almanac at MOCA on Jan. 30
On Sat, January 30, 2016, Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith (co-authors of the Pocket Chinese Almanac) return to the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) to decode the almanac’s predictions for 2016 and share a range of New Year’s traditions that bring positive energy into the household for the Year of the Monkey. Each participant will receive a free copy of the Pocket Chinese Almanac (valued at $7).
Time: 2:30pm – 4:00pm
Place: MOCA, 215 Centre St, New York, NY 10013
Admission: $20/Adults; $18/Students & Seniors; $8/MOCA Members
I caught up with the pair who are jetting off to Australia on Monday. Check out this delightful profile on them in the New York Times.
New York Times: A Chinese Almanac That Takes a Wary View of the New Year
Ken Smith and Joanna C. Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
The husband and wife team are co-authors of the Pocket Chinese Almanac and co-directors of Museworks Ltd., a Hong Kong-based cultural consulting company offering wide-ranging support, from production to translation and media services, for artists and institutions seeking links to and from Asia. Their clients include Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, Holland Festival, Habitat for Humanity, the Hong Kong International Film Festival and Sotheby’s HK. They have been artistic advisors to a wide array of cultural projects, including David Henry Hwang’s bilingual Broadway play Chinglish, and Kung Fu, a play about Bruce Lee, produced by Signature Theatre Company.
Translator Candace Chong (center) reviews the Chinese dialogue in the new script pages with Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, Cultural Advisors for Chinglish in the Healy Room of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago on June 5, 2011. © 2011 Lia Chang
Goodman associate producer Steve Scott wrote an article entitled, “The Challenges of Chinglish,” that detailed Lee and Smith’s integral and invaluable contributions.
Chinglish playwright David Henry Hwang (center) is flanked by (l-r) his cultural advisors Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, actors Johnny Wu, Christine Lin, Gary Wilmes, Angela Lin, Stephen Pucci, Jennifer Lim and Larry Lei Zhang after the 100th performance of Chinglish on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in New York on January 5, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang
Joanna C. Lee is a recovering pianist with a doctorate in musicology from Columbia University. A former Honorary Research Fellow of the Centre for Asian Studies at the University of Hong Kong, she has served as translator for such luminaries as former US President Jimmy Carter and Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan.
Ken Smith writes about Asian arts and culture for the Financial Times and other publications. He is the author of Fate! Luck! Chance! Amy Tan, Stewart Wallace and the Making of The Bonesetter’s Daughter Opera (Chronicle Books) and Talking about Music (Beijing Normal University Press).
Photos: An Intimate Evening with Author Amy Tan at the New-York Historical Society
Upcoming projects include:
San Francisco Opera Presents World Premiere of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ by Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang, Sept. 10 -29
They used the almanac to set their wedding date.
Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Backstage and Opening Night of Signature’s World Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s ‘Kung Fu’
Meet Museworks, Ltd.’s Joanna C. Lee and Ken Smith, Chinglish Cultural Advisors and Co-authors of the Pocket Chinese Almanac in Ann Arbor, New York and San Francisco.
Financial Times Critic Ken Smith Discusses Western Opera’s Recent Success in China with the Three Chinese Tenors at The China Institute in New York on January 21, 2012
Asia Society Honors Chinglish Playwright David Henry Hwang and Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John C. Whitehead at the Waldorf Astoria on January 11, 2012
CHINGLISH Celebrates 100th Performance on 1/5/12 – Meet David Henry Hwang & the Cast After Post-Show Talkback
Photos: Maya Lin, BD Wong, David Henry Hwang, Yeohlee, Oscar L. Tang and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at MOCA Legacy Awards Gala
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