EVENT LOCATION UPDATED: Pittsburgh Athletic Association Library, 4215 5th Avenue (across from the Cathedral)

A ceremony honoring all graduate and undergraduate students who have completed the ASC Certificate during the past academic year (August and December 2011, and April 2012). Our students really appreciate seeing their professors and staff members as they complete their studies at Pitt, so please plan to attend.

Our guest speaker this year will be Dr. Thomas Rawski, Professor of Economics at the University of Pittsburgh

The repertoire of the instrument qin (pronounced “chin”), or guqin (ancient qin), embodies China’s three major religious-philosophical systems of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. A major tenet in Confucianism lists five cardinal human relationships, of which the one between friends is a prominent theme in the qin repertoire. I shall discuss and play three pieces with the theme of Friendship:
Flowing Waters (Liushui 流水), from a 1425 notation collection
Magpies Cry in the Night (Wuyeti 烏夜啼), from the same 1425 notation collection

The screening and director talk for the Japanese documentary "ANPO: Art x War" has been moved due to the bomb threats on campus. Please join us at the Carnegie Museum of Art theater at 7 pm Thursday - enter at the main doors on Forbes Ave by the fountains, and meet director Linda Hoaglund, Warhol Museum film curator Geralyn Huxley, and EALL professor Charles Exley for post-film discussion!

USA/Japan 2010, 89 min., in Japanese and English with English subtitles
Street parking or parking at Soldiers and Sailors Underground Parking available.

The symposium will report on recent research in the areas of Asian and American music by scholars from the U.S. and elsewhere. It assembles eight of Bell Yung’s former students to celebrate his 31 years of teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, together with four of his current students. The presentations focus on historical sources, musical genres, performance practices, musicians, and musical communities of China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the U.S.

Pittsburgh Taiko is dedicated to bringing Japanese group taiko drumming (kumidaiko) to the city of Pittsburgh. Open to anyone interested in learning about the art form, they seek to educate members of the community about taiko and about Japanese culture through performances and outreach activities.

Pittsburgh Taiko performs both regional Japanese drumming styles arranged for their group and original compositions. In this way, they not only look to pass on knowledge of what has come before, but also work to create new possibilities for taiko performance.

The Ippen Hijiri-e (1299) is a set of twelve Japanese handscrolls documenting the religious life and beliefs of Ippen (1234-1289), itinerant monk and founder of the Ji Sect of Pure Land Buddhism. The scrolls are unique for the inclusion of more than one hundred outcasts, or hinin (non-persons). In 14th-century Japan, outcasts were often despised and discriminated against because of their disregard for Buddhist proscriptions against killing.

Noh, a six hundred year old traditional Japanese performing art, combines elements of dance, music, theater, literature, and costume. In a series of two classes we will examine the hayashi (music) ensemble and the integral role it plays in creating the atmospheric aesthetics of this art. First we will discuss the individual instruments of the hayashi ensemble. Then, through live demonstration we will see how they interact to create a variety of musical textures at different points of a dramatic performance.

During the 17-year rule of Kim Jong-il, North Korea became a dictatorship armed to the teeth but unable to feed its own people without foreign aid. But with the death of Kim Jong Il on December 17th, foreign policy experts across the globe have wondered aloud what does the future hold for this nuclear power? “North Korea as we know it is over,” a Korea specialist who served in the second Bush administration confidently asserted in the New York Times, a mere two days after Kim died.

ASC and the Japanese language program at Pitt are offering a series of Japanese language tables on campus for students of Japanese language. The first session of the series is “Learning to use Japanese language on your computer.” This session is designed toward beginner; however, any level of students is welcome. Even if you already know how to type, you might learn some useful 裏技 [うらわざ means tricks)! We will cover the following topics;
- How to set up your computer to be able to type in Japanese
- How to type basic and some tricky Japanese characters and words.

Come to experience an extraordinary world class show -- Shen Yun Performing arts, it will be at the Benedum Center Feb. 15-16, 2012.

Reviving the purity and grandeur of Chinese classical dance and music, the show is inspired by the myths, legends, and divine beauty of 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.

Shen Yun and its breathtaking beauty are not to be missed. Its masterful choreography and graceful routines range from grand classical processions to ethnic and folk dances, with gorgeously costumed dancers moving in stunning synchronized patterns.