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 47 years ago, a young woman and a young man decided to create works of art that would change the hearts and minds of people so that together, all of us could make the world a better place.

Thus was born...

FIRST VOICE

The Home of

Culture Bearers, Wisdom Keepers & Truth Tellers since 1976

Presented by

BRENDA WONG AOKI

&

MARK IZU

 

Up Next…

Soul of The City

LIVE FILMING

Presidio Theatre

Friday, June 1st at 7PM

Saturday, June 2nd at 4PM


PAST PERFORMANCES

 

Saturday, September 30th, 2023 at 7pm

&

Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 4pm

Soul of the City (2023)

World Premiere

Soul of The City  follows a storyteller who has no more stories to tell. Her husband is sick, her boy has moved away, and nobody is buying the stories she’s trying to tell. Pursued by demons and haunted by ghosts, the storyteller embarks on a journey to find the soul of San Francisco. This multimedia music drama is a ritual performance. Rooted in traditional Japanese theater and music and infused with contemporary spoken word and Asian American Jazz, Soul of The City reveals the divine in us all. 

The audience is invited to dress in celebratory attire and will gather in the garden to put prayers, photographs or talisman on the Soul of The City  sacred tree.  A Buddhist priest will bless us with a purification ceremony and  willing participants will be given temple bells to call the ancestors. We will then go inside the theater. The audience will witness a ritual performance of jazz, storytelling, and poetry that is accompanied by photographs and images of Brenda’s family in San Francisco since the 1800’s.  At the conclusion of the performance we will return to the garden for refreshments, renewed, recharged and inspired  to carry on.


June 17th, 2023

A First Voice Moment

of Music and Dance



Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora:

We never die

May 20 2023


 
 

MAY IS COMING!

"During the month of May, explore Asian American & Pacific Islander culture through films, foods, and books. The APA Heritage Foundation works with our Official Celebration Partners the Asian Art Museum, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and the San Francisco Public Library to compile a Celebration Guide with a list of activities and events in the San Francisco Bay Area taking place in May." (apasf.gov)

Want to help spread the word about AAPI Heritage Month? 

Facebook: @APAHERITAGESF 

Instagram: @APASF 

Twitter: @APAHERITAGES

 

We are YBCA 2023 Honorees!

" Launched in 2014, the YBCA 100 list publicly celebrates artists, activists, and leaders who are committed to building regenerative and equitable communities. These fierce innovators work steadfastly through art and activism to provoke, inspire, ground, heal, and bring us together when we need it most." (YBCA) 

In previous years, the YBCA 100 list has included national and international honorees. This year YBCA decided to focus on local Bay Area individuals and organizations. As artists who have  been telling the stories of San Francisco since 1976, we are especially excited to be recipients of this year's award. We are proud to live in this city and make art that speaks to its history, cultural complexity, and collective resilience. 

 
 

Our Mission

First Voice’s mission is to create and present the stories and music of people living between worlds. We are the nation’s only arts organization dedicated to multiracial people, one of the fastest growing demographics in the US. Through the pursuit of this distinct purpose, co-founders Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu have contributed to the American cultural canon since 1976. Our core programming is creating, presenting, recording, and producing multidisciplinary new work rooted in this mission.

Our Artists and Collaborators Past and Present

Click thumbnails to view titles and dates of artworks


 

Brenda & Mark Awarded MAP Fund 2019

“J-town, Chinatown: Our Town” – a multidisciplinary and multimedia work, written by Brenda Wong Aoki, scored by award-winning jazz musician Mark Izu with Chinese & Japanese American home movies by Stephen Gong of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)

brenda wong aoki map fund first voice.png
 

 

Brenda Wong Aoki and CAAM Awarded 2018 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission

for “J-Town, Chinatown, Our Town”


PRESS HIGHLIGHTS

[for more, visit our Press Page]

 
 

Gallery of First Voice

 

Stay in touch!

 

Celebrating 40 Years As A Performing Arts Duo

 
 

NBC Bay Area features Brenda and Mark as "master storyteller" and "Emmy Award Winning Composer" on their 40th anniversary