History, Memory Circumstance

History, Memory, Circumstance – A Japanese American Story is a suite commissioned by and the San Francisco Arts Commission and produced by Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center  and Asian Improv aRts.

History, Memory, Circumstance is a personal reflection by Joyce Nakamura, a Sansei (third generation Japanese American) who recounts her immigrant family’s struggle to belong in the USA while facing racism, economic hardships, and incarceration.

 

Responding to this dehumanization, it is also the story of Joyce’s journey of discovering and claiming her identity as a Japanese American, and as a lifelong political organizer. This work will be narrated by Joyce Nakamura with music composed by San Francisco’s own Jon Jang.

 

The project featured 2 online workshops where Jon Jang, Erika Oba and Joyce Nakamura shared the artistic visioning of the project and how the collaborative process helped bring the work together.  The project premiered December 18, 2026.

 

06/06/2025 Artist Talk with Jon Jang and Erika Oba and moderated by Vinay Patel

 

6/13/2025 Artist Talk with Joyce Nakamura, Jon Jang and moderated by John Nguyen

 

Premiere 

Date: December 18, 2025
Time: 6pm
Venue: Clarion Performing Arts Center

Joyce Nakamura:  Narrator

Jon Jangtet:

Hitomi Oba, tenor saxophone
Nick DePinna, trombone
Erika Oba, piano and flute
Gary Brown, double bass
Deszon Claiborne, multiple percussion
Francis Wong, guest artist on tenor saxophone

 

San Francisco Arts Commission and San Francisco Grants for the Arts