Asian AmericanIAAAAImmigrantMusic

Hit the Strings – Live on Stage

Hit the Strings is based on a Middle Eastern musical scale and features the Japanese koto played by Masumi Timson. Many cultural influences flow between  the Middle East and India and this piece is a beautiful marriage of Indian and Persian classical melodies, but played on a Japanese instrument.

I Am An American Live is a collection of pan-Asian music highlighting traditional Asian instruments backed by Western classical harmonies. Featuring intriguing combinations of musical sounds never heard before, it is performed by an eclectic group of musicians who came together just for the occasion of a single concert, “I Am An American Live”, in the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton, OR on May 6, 2022.

All of these pieces were composed and arranged by Balamurali Balu (Bala), a well-known composer and music producer who writes music for the Tamil film industry in southern India.

This unique music, which represents the blending of some of the most ancient musical traditions and instruments of Asia to create something new, celebrates the rich cultures brought to the United States by multiple generations of Asian Americans.

I Am An American Live is a production of The Immigrant Story as a part of its Live production