What a year it has been! I would be amiss by not starting this December message, by again, thanking all the wonderful staff and volunteers whose dedication and commitment to the Festival and yearly programming, continue to inspire me every day. Thank you for your hard work - for the flexibility, good humour and passion - that makes this Society such a great hub to engage with Japanese Canadian arts & culture in the city.
In a twist of fate, the last minute success of the Festival move proved to us - the board and staff - that the building blocks for change we put in place over the last year, were necessary. As we close this year, we are building further on those steps; recruiting new members to the board, launching a new strategic plan, hiring new staff, growing new ideas and creativity around the Festival and programming. It will be an exciting 2015, and we are motivated to take the Society into its future, and to have you all there with us.
The work we have accomplished, and the strength and commitments we take into 2015, could not have been done without the tireless dedication and efforts of our General Manager - Kristen Lambertson, who will be stepping down in her role at the start of the new year. I want to take this opportunity to thank Kristen for her 5 years of dedication to the Society. She has truly been a mentor to us all, a passionate advocate and leader in all things, and we could not have come this far without her. We wish Kristen all the best in her next endeavours, but hope she will never be far from the home she will always have at the Powell Street Festival.
On behalf of the Society, we wish you the happiest of holidays, and thank you all for being a part of our work and our passion. Happy holidays!
Lia Cosco
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Photo of Katari Taiko at the 2014 Powell Street Festival by Jeanie Ow
Reminder: Executive Director Job Application Deadline is Nov 28
We are currently looking for a dedicated, passionate, visionary, and highly motivated individual to join our team as the Executive Director. For more information and to apply, go to Work Opportunities page. Stay tuned in early 2015 for the posting of a new Artistic Director position.
We are looking for dynamic, eager and committed new members to join the Fundraising Committee of Vancouver’s oldest community-run Festival.
Fundraising Committee Members:The Fundraising Committee is key to ensuring that the Society achieves its financial goals in order to fulfill its mission of cultivating Japanese Canadian arts and culture to connect communities. See the outline of our vision, mission and values here. Read more...
For more information or to apply, please contact Kristen Lambertson
p: 604-739-9388
e: gm[at]powellstreetfestival.com
Saturday December 6, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Vancouver Playhouse
Tickets: brownpapertickets.com
Katari Taiko, the first taiko group formed in Canada, is a constantly changing and intensely creative hybrid. In celebration of its 35th Anniversary, Katari Taiko is presenting a special concert featuring its own contemporary and traditional music and that of guests, Chibi Taiko, Sansho Daiko, Sawagi Taiko and Vancouver Okinawa Taiko. All of the groups will join Katari Taiko in the premiere a brand new collaborative work inspired by the return of the wild salmon to the Fraser River.
PARALLEL PATHS: Japanese Diplomacy and Nikkei Heritage
Forum 6 – Recent Years: 1990 – Present
November 28, 2014, 7 pm
Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre (6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby) vancouver.ca.emb-japan.go.jp
Free, but registrations appreciated: event@vc.mofa.go.jp
In this final session of the forum series we will look at recent Japanese Canadian experiences and then turn the discussion toward what may lie ahead in the future by asking the question: What can we learn from our shared history? Keynote speaker Greg Masuda will tell his story as a third- generation Japanese Canadian and focus on what it means to be Japanese Canadian after Redress.
Saturday, January 10, 2015 at 6:00pm (Door at 5:00pm)
Nikkei Centre (6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby)
Ticket $40 (advanced), $50 (after January 2)
More information: JCCommunityVancouver@gmail.com
Meet and greet with people from various Nikkei communities and let's celebrate the New Year together!
Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 8pm
Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 650 Hamilton Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $69 / $59 / $49 northerntickets.com
On Thursday January 29, 2015 the Kodo Drummers of Japan return to Vancouver with their groundbreaking new program, Kodo One Earth Tour: Mystery. Amidst reverberations like rumbles in the earth, large serpents coil, demons and lions move wildly. They surface from the gloomy dark, eerie at times, and in some respects, even nostalgic… Read more...
Do you have a Japanese-Canadian or Downtown Eastside community related event? Powell Street Festival Society is happy and excited to offer our community partners the opportunity to submit their own special events to our newsletter. It’s our little way of saying thank you for your hard work in our community! Send us via Community Event Submission Form.
Message from President
