Lowell, MA -April 2011, Lowell National Historical Park, in collaboration with several other organizations in Lowell, will host a series of community events focusing on the Southeast Asian community.
Cambodian New Year Celebration
Community Event at Lowell Senior Center
Saturday, April 23 at 10:00am-3:00pm
We are honored to host the culminating event commemorating Cambodian New Year: Year of the Rabbit. The auspicious morning will begin with Buddhist monks blessing and chanting, followed by traditional music, food, and dance inspired by the youth of the Children of Basaac, led by Master Artist Ieng Sithul and Artist-In-Residence Kimhan Meas from the Royal University of Fine Arts. These visiting artists grew up in a slum in Phnom Penh. For them, the arts and preservation of culture have transformed their lives opening opportunities for education, employment and travel. The tour will mark the group's debut American performance, following their international successes in Japan, Australia and Great Britain.
Presented by: Angkor Dance Troupe, Cambodian Living Arts, Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, Coalition for a Better Acre, Light of Cambodian Children, Lowell Alliance for Families and Neighborhoods, and Lowell National Historical Park.
Where East Meets West: Cultural Fusion in Music and Dance
Family Program at Eliot Presbyterian Church of Lowell
Saturday, April 30 at 7pm
The New England Orchestra, Lowell Youth Orchestra, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Middlesex Community College faculty and UML students perform a cultural fusion concert centered on the music of Cambodian-American composer Chinary Ung and featuring the Angkor Dance Troupe in court and folk dances and modern choreographies. The soloist is renowned violist Mark Berger; Kay G. Roberts conducts.
Funded by UMass President's Creative Economy Fund, Moses Greeley Parker Lectures, UML Center for Arts and Ideas, the Mekong - Merrimack Opera Fund and Lowell National Historical Park.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
