Allah Elohim at The Armory
Perhaps as a kind of invocation, Bala and Shivani chose to play the song Allah Elohim, a piece that now resonates more deeply than ever before.
Category: Portland
We Are One Live at The Armory
This original composition, thoughtfully created and arranged by Bala for this occasion, weaves a melody that speaks to the deepest threads of our shared
Aap Ki Nazaron Live at The Armory
This beautiful melody comes from the classic Bollywood film Anpadh (1962). Originally sung by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, the song features music
Mast Qalandar Live at The Armory
“Mast Qalandar” is perhaps the most celebrated and widely rendered of all Qawwalis. Reverberating through the annals of South Asian musical heritage,
Breaking Free: Her Path to a New Life
Born in a Tanzanian refugee camp to parents who fled conflict in the Congo, Jeanette Muibi grew up walking toward a future she couldn’t yet imagine.
Forgiving the Unforgivable
At just 50-years-old, Rukshana Hafez Triem could say she’s lived many lives. From fleeing her home country of Mozambique at just 5-years-old to being a refugee
My Audacious Grandfather
Erica Naito-Campbell, the author of Portland’s Audacious Champion: How Bill Naito Overcame Anti-Japanese Hate and Became an Intrepid Civic Leader in
A Uniquely Global Citizen
To call Sinait Sarfino a “global citizen” would be an understatement. She speaks English, Korean, and she is now learning Chinese. She has lived in various countries
An Artist with Many Voices
For Dao Nguyen Strom, identity is no simple concept. Raised in the California countryside, Strom was originally born in Vietnam—a country she escaped as a baby
Beyond the Familiar Summit
Although Ang Pemba Sherpa was born in 1982 in Namche Bazar, Nepal, a small village nestled at 3,500 meters in the highest peaks of the world
Creating Joy For Others
When Shi Choong, now a wedding planner helping other Portlanders celebrate their love, thinks about her childhood, she recalls the bright colors
Soaring High, Staying Rooted
“Volando alto sin olvidar de dónde vengo,” a popular Spanish saying that can be translated in English as “Flying high without forgetting where I came from,” describes
Value of Human Belonging
Before she was even born, Toc Soneoulay-Gillespie began her journey far away from her roots in her Lao village. Her mother, Phouvong Sonelouay,
Growth Through the Fray
Mario Magaña fondly recalls growing up in Mexico. He’s one of 15 siblings, and though he feels his childhood in Mexico was the best it could be, it came with […]
A Son’s Journey of Transcendence
Walking off the plane in a white tuxedo and blue bowtie as he arrived in the U.S., 6-year-old Benji Vuong felt like he was going to be a superstar.