Free beginner-level Chinese courses at Carnegie Library - East Liberty, Saturdays through November 16.

via Khun Hans Photography (Creative Commons)

The Carnegie Library in East Liberty will host "We Learn: Beginner-Level Chinese Language" courses Saturdays through November 16. (The classes actually started on September 28).

Welcome to the Chinese language learning circle! This is a beginner-level class, so you do not need to have any prior experience with the language. We will be learning basic spoken Mandarin and possibly some very basic written Chinese if there is enough interest.

My name is Kevin and I will be facilitating this language circle. I am not a native Chinese speaker but I have been studying the language for several years so I am familiar with the difficulties that learners face. Chinese is not an easy language, so you should not expect to become an expert after just a few weeks, but I hope this learning circle will provide a good foundation that you can continue to build on if you choose to continue studying.

Registration can be completed online. The classes start at 3:00 pm and the library is located at 130 S. Whitfield St. (map).

"World Music: HarmoniZing Ensemble ft. Yang Jin," November 13 at Alphabet City.

City of Asylum wil present "World Music: HarmoniZing Ensemble ft. Yang Jin" on November 17.

This fall, we welcome back the HarmoniZing Ensemble, directed by pipa performer Yang Jin, for a concert featuring musicians from different cultures. In constant pursuit of their mission to “nurture cross-cultural understanding through the arts,” the members of HarmoniZing see bright spaces in the interaction between different cultures. In our current world of divisions, they believe collaboration between musicians of different cultures is an effective tool to promote mutual trust, respect and healing. They posit that in music, there are absolutely no cultural, religious, and political boundaries.

About the Artist:

Yang Jin is a leading Pipa soloist of her generation. She graduated from the world-renowned Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with distinguished honors for her master’s degree. In 2004, she won the Silver Award in the most prestigious Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music. As a collaborating musician of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, she joined the Great music epic “Layla and Majnun” world tour in 2016. Jin is an instructor of the University of Delaware Master Players Concert & Festival and a judge of the Hummingbird International Music Festival & Competition at Eastman School of Music. She is also a pipa graduate instructor at the University of Central Oklahoma, Bard College, and the featured pipa performer of the 2020 Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival. Her performance vivifies contrarieties of sentiments and inspires magnificent imaginations. Since 2024, Jin has been a founding member and the president of the Chinese Musicians Association of North America.

The event runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm both in-person at Alphabet City on the Northside (map) and online via livestream; free tickets for each are available online.

Korean Cooking Class: Flower Kimbap, with Jeonghee Choi from Yega Kimchi, October 30.

The East End Food Co-op will host "Korean Cooking Class: Flower Kimbap, with Jeonghee Choi from Yega Kimchi" on October 30.

Learn to make flower kimbap, a fun variation of a classic Korean dish. Similar to a sushi roll, you’ll learn how the two dishes differ, as well as other interesting facts about Korean cuisine. Participants will make their own to eat and/or take home and share (vegetarian/vegan).

It runs from 6 to 8:00 pm, and is $20 for East End Food Co-op members and $25 for non-members. The East End Food Co-op is located at 7516 Meade St. in Point Breeze (map).

Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh (ピッツバーグ日本協会) recruiting members for 2025 with special offers.

The Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh (ピッツバーグ日本協会) is recruiting new and renewing members with special offers. Those who join or renew now will enjoy membership for the remainder of 2024 in addition to the 2025 calendar year, and will receive discounts on JAGP interest groups. Benefits of the JAGP include a discount on event fees, participation in online communities and a members' mailing list, subsidies for interest groups and clubs, and rental of Japanese items (including books, manga, and other goods. The text of the Japanese-language announcement:

ピッツバーグ日本協会から、新会員募集のお知らせです。 当協会は、ピッツバーグ近郊の方々の交流促進や地域への文化的貢献を目的に活動しています。新年会やピクニックなどの交流イベントのほか、備品の貸し出し、情報提供サービスなど、多彩な活動を展開しています。 会員になると、イベントの参加費割引や会員限定サービスを受けることができます。ピッツバーグでの生活をより豊かにするために、是非ご入会をご検討ください。 入会は年間を通じて受け付けておりますが、この10月に入会されると更にメリットがあります！ 10月以降に新規で入会された方は、通常1月～12月分の年会費が来年12月末まで延長されます。 ※新規入会者のみ対象、再入会の方は対象外。 2024年10月は「同好会メンバー勧誘キャンペーン期間」として、日本協会への入会と同時に同好会メンバーになると、年会費が5ドル割引されます。※詳細は別途メールいたします。 今ご入会いただくと、10/20(日)に開催予定の総会（オンライン）にもご参加いただけます。昨年度の活動報告や今後の活動計画の審議が行われる予定です。 是非、この機会にご入会をご検討ください。

And English-language text from the announcement:

The Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh (JAGP) organizes events and online community that provide opportunities for people in the Pittsburgh area to get to know each other, and provides useful information. We hope you will join us for a more fulfilling life in Pittsburgh.

"Thursday Night Jazz: Yoko Suzuki Spotlights the Music of Toshiko Akiyoshi," October 17 at Alphabet City.

City of Asylum will present "Thursday Night Jazz: Yoko Suzuki Spotlights the Music of Toshiko Akiyoshi" on October 17.

Dr. Yoko Suzuki, an ethnomusicologist and excellent saxophonist, returns to City of Asylum to pay homage to female musicians who were unappreciated in their time. Artists featured in past renditions of Dr. Yoko’s concerts include pianists Geri Allen and Marian McPartland as well as harpists Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. With incredible setlists—often featuring original arrangements especially created for the Alphabet City stage—and thorough research, Yoko Suzuki weaves her knowledge as an ethnomusicologist and talent as a musician together to breathe new life into the legacy and music of influential female jazz composers throughout history.

This latest concert in Yoko’s ongoing series features the compositions of Toshiko Akiyoshi as well as some beloved jazz standards. The arrangements will be performed by a jazz quartet plus string quartet, featuring cellist Alicia Storin.

On the performance, Yoko says, “While named an NEA jazz master in 2007, Toshiko Akiyoshi (b. 1929) is one of the underrecognized musicians in jazz. She has been active in the American jazz scene since she moved here in 1956. She is best known as a big band leader and composer/arranger, but I feel that people don’t often have opportunities to hear her music. I worked with Alicia last year and enjoyed the collaboration so much that I decided to feature her for this concert.”

It runs from 7:00 to 8:30 pm, both in-person at Alphabet City on the Northside (map) and online via livestream. Free tickets are available online.

Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow (機動戦士ガンダム II 哀・戦士編) in Pittsburgh, October 16 and 20.

The 1981 Japanese film Mobile Suit Gundam II: Soldiers of Sorrow (機動戦士ガンダム II 哀・戦士編) will play in Pittsburgh on October 16 and 20, part of the three-part AXCN Gundam Fest showing the films compiled from the initial Gundam TV series.

With evacuees from Side 7 onboard, the White Base crosses the Pacific Ocean and heads west towards the continent of Eurasia. Amidst that journey filled with battle, Amuro has a fight with Bright and runs away, suffering from the deaths of Matilda, who he had feelings for, and Ryu, who was like a big brother to him. The White Base lands at the Belfast base in Ireland. It’s then that Char appears, having stepped back from the front lines. With that, Amuro and Char end up clashing in the battle surrounding the Earth Federation Headquarters of Jaburo.

It plays locally, in Japanese with English subtitles, at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark in Robinson, and tickets are available online. The third compilation film will play here later this month.

2024 film Extremely Unique Dynamic, from Harrison Xu and Ivan Leung, in Pittsburgh October 12, part of Reel Q Pittsburgh International LGBT Film Festival.

The 2024 film Extremely Unique Dynamic, from Harrison Xu and Ivan Leung, will play in Pittsburgh on October 12 as part of Reel Q Pittsburgh International LGBT Film Festival.

Ryan and Daniel, two childhood best friends and aspiring actors, spend one final weekend together before RYAN has to move to Canada with his fiancé. Wanting to create one lasting memory, they decide to make a movie... about two guys making a movie.. about two guys making a movie. Along the way, they unpack their decades-long friendship and prepare for the next chapters of their respective lives.

It plays at 9:00 pm at the Harris Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map), and tickets are available online.

"The Promise of Intimacy: Digital Lives of Queer Filipinx/a/os in Manila and Los Angeles" at Pitt, November 7.

The University of Pittsburgh's Gender, Sexuality, & Women's Studies program will present Dr. Paul Michael Leonardo Atienza and his talk "The Promise of Intimacy: Digital Lives of Queer Filipinx/a/os in Manila and Los Angeles" on November 7.

Mobile digital technologies are transforming how people communicate with one another. They offer a promise for quick and easy platonic, romantic, and/or sexual connections. With the intensification of people’s reliance on and everyday engagement with mobile digital media platforms, the study of mediated intimacies is relevant and needed more than ever before. Spanning several years of ethnographic research, both in Manila and Los Angeles, queer Filipinx/a/o men in my study complained that it was difficult to find meaningful connections through socio-sexual apps. In their pursuits of intimacies, queer Filipinx/a/o men in my study experienced frequent forms of failure, generating various affective responses that shape their actions and beliefs. In the accounts of these experiences, failure is not a totalizing experience. Nor do these experiences necessarily lead to definite endpoints. Such possibilities still create many forms of exclusions to intimacy, yet the queer Filipinx/a/o men who shared parts of their lives continue to aspire, to hope for an experience of intimacy. Some openings and possibilities inspire responses and alternative paths toward the realization of brief moments of connection, and small moments of pleasure. My study seeks to understand queer Filipinx/a/o men’s digital lives and how their experiences inform complex negotiations on and offline in the search for connection, especially when feelings are amplified and complicated by social categories of race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality.

It runs from 1:00 to 2:00 pm in room 2322 Cathedral of Learning.

2024 movie My Hero Academia (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ユア ネクスト) in Pittsburgh, from October 10.

The 2024 Japanese animated movie My Hero Academia (僕のヒーローアカデミア THE MOVIE ユア ネクスト) will play in Pittsburgh from October 10.

Izuku Midoriya, a U.A. High School student who aspires to be the best hero he can be, confronts the villain who imitates the hero he once admired.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theaters in McCandless and Robinson, and tickets are available online. Please note, some shows are dubbed in English while others are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Concert film JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL - THE PARTY EDITION in Pittsburgh, October 11 - 13.

The concert film JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL - THE PARTY EDITION will play in Pittsburgh from October 11 through 13.

“Party, party, yeah!” The hit movie JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL returns to cinemas with a bonus singalong party! Experience the movie, featuring electrifying concert performances, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage, along with 20 minutes of singalong videos for the ultimate party event in cinemas. Join together with ARMY to celebrate Jung Kook’s hit songs in global cinemas, including "Seven (feat. Latto)," "3D (feat. Jack Harlow)" and "Standing Next to You" among others. This is the final chance to see JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL on the big screen, capturing his remarkable rise to fame and heartfelt moments with ARMY around the world.

It plays locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in Robinson, and tickets are available online.

《Invisible Nation》 Movie Screening & Panel Discussion【看不見的國家】電影放映會及座談會, October 26 at Carnegie Mellon.

The Pittsburgh Taiwanese Association will present 《Invisible Nation》 Movie Screening & Panel Discussion【看不見的國家】電影放映會及座談會 on October 26.

With unprecedented access to Taiwan’s sitting head of state, director Vanessa Hope investigates the election and tenure of Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president of Taiwan. Thorough, incisive and bristling with tension, Invisible Nation is a living account of Tsai’s tightrope walk as she balances the hopes and dreams of her nation between the colossal geopolitical forces of the U.S. and China. Hope’s restrained observational style captures Tsai at work in her country’s vibrant democracy at home, while seeking full international recognition of Taiwan’s right to exist. （Promotion materials provided by Theorem Media）

《Invisible Nation》看不見的國家是一部由Vanessa Hope 執導的紀錄片。該片以台灣為背景，深入探討這個常被忽略的島國及其政治和社會景觀。紀錄片全面展示了台灣在國際承認方面的奮鬥以及其與中國之間的複雜關係。這部電影探討了以下主題：台灣的身分認同，政治鬥爭，個人故事以及國際關係。該片提供了一個深入而洞察的視角，展現了台灣在尋求國際承認方面的奮鬥以及政治局勢的複雜性。

More information on the panelists is available at the event site. The event runs from 1:30 to 4:00 pm in the McConomy Auditorium in the Jared L. Cohon University Center on the Carnegie Mellon University campus (map), and tickets are available online; there are special rates for students and children.

Cowboy Bebop LIVE, presented by Bebop Bounty Big Band, October 17 at Roxian Theatre.

The Roxian Theatre will host Cowboy Bebop LIVE on October 17.

Prepare to blast off into the cosmos with Cowboy Bebop LIVE, an electrifying tour produced by Live Nation and performed by the sensational Bebop Bounty Big Band. This one-of-a-kind multimedia experience celebrates the iconic anime series Cowboy Bebop by bringing its legendary soundtrack to life in a way that fans have never seen before.

Cowboy Bebop LIVE is more than just a concert, it’s an immersive experience that combines high-octane jazz with the gripping narrative of Cowboy Bebop projected on the big screen. Audiences will be transported through the solar system alongside Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein as they track down intergalactic fugitives, and make a living in the vastness of space. The band’s 14-piece ensemble brings to life the critically acclaimed soundtrack that has captured the hearts of anime fans and jazz lovers alike.

The Bebop Bounty Big Band, comprised of world-class musicians, is here to take audiences on a journey through the stars. Handpicked by Cowboy Bebop LIVE curator and band leader, Corey Paul, each musician plays a pivotal role in recreating the magic of Cowboy Bebop’s unforgettable soundscape. Paul commented, “I’m truly honored to have put this live show together and perform the genius score of Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts, along with the genius storytelling of Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop.”

Tickets for the all-ages show, starting at 7:00 pm, are now available online. The Roxian Theatre is located at 425 Chartiers Ave. in McKees Rocks (map).

Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program Information Session, October 8 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will hold its annual Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program Information Session on October 8.

Are you interested in living and working abroad?
Have you been studying Japanese and looking to apply your skills after graduation?
Do you want to make an impact on the lives of young people?
Would you like to find out where the ultimate ramen shop is found?
If any of these questions apply to you, then please join the Asian Studies Center and JET Alumni group in Pittsburgh for an information session to learn more about the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. This hybrid Information Session will be in room 4130 Posvar Hall, on the 4th floor of W. Wesley Posvar Hall on October 8, 2024 starting at 5:30pm. Learn about the requirements of the JET Program and learn from your future-JET Program sempai with our JET Alumni Panel.

The hybrid event starts at 5:30 pm and registration is required; the in-person component is held in 4130 Posvar Hall.

"Chifa: How Chinese Food Became Peru's National Treasure," October 4 at Pitt.

The Center for Ethnic Studies Research and the Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh will present Dr. Lok Siu and her talk "Chifa: How Chinese Food Became Peru's National Treasure" on October 4.

Chifas, or Peruvian Chinese food and restaurants, are ubiquitous throughout South America, a region with the largest population of ethnic Chinese in the American hemisphere. They first emerged in the second half of the 1800s to service Chinese workers who settled in Lima. As chifas gained widespread popularity, they proliferated throughout neighborhoods and cities. Over time, the food served in chifas morphed and shifted according to local tastes, spices, and food preferences. Cultural proximity and intimacy among Chinese, Black, indigenous, and mestizo Peruvians helped generate new dishes. Today, chifas are considered an important part of Peru’s national cuisine. This talk examines the development and transformation of Chifas in order to illustrate one distinctive culinary formation—chifas in Peru—within the broader global circuit of Chinese foodways.

Lok Siu is Professor of Ethnic Studies and Associate Vice Chancellor of Research at UC Berkeley. A cultural anthropologist with expertise in diaspora, transnational migration, belonging and citizenship, food, ethnography, and hemispheric Asian American studies, she is an award-winning author of several books, including, most recently, Chinese Diaspora: Its Development in Global Perspective (2021), and the forthcoming Worlding Latin Asian: Cultural Intimacies in Food, Art, and Politics (Duke U. Press).

The talk runs from 2:30 to 4:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Korean singer Babylon (베이빌론) in Pittsburgh, October 20.

Korean R&B singer Babylon (베이빌론) will perform in Pittsburgh on October 20.

Babylon is a distinguished R&B musician known for his unique and classic vocal style, which has left an indelible mark on the music scene. Rising to prominence with his collaboration with Zico on "Boys and Girls," which dominated the annual charts, Babylon has since established himself as a significant force in the hip-hop and R&B genres. Each of his albums features a stellar lineup of collaborations, earning him the moniker "musician's musician."

With a career marked by innovation and excellence, Babylon recently garnered acclaim for his contemporary album EGO 90’S, which brings the essence of 90s music into the modern era. This album further solidified his reputation for musicality and artistry.

He performs at the Greer Cabaret Theater in downtown's Cultural District (map) and tickets for the 7:30 pm show are available online. VIP Meet & Greet add-on passes are available as well.

2023 Philippine film Asog in Pittsburgh, October 6, part of Reel Q Pittsburgh International LGBT Film Festival.

The 2023 Philippine film Asog will play in Pittsburgh on October 6, part of Reel Q Pittsburgh International LGBT Film Festival.

This unique narrative incorporating documentary elements follows Rey, a 40-year-old non-binary teacher and typhoon survivor, on a roadtrip to fame. With surreal comedy and social portrait realism, filmmaker Seán‌ Devlin explores climate change, LGBTQ+ issues, and the impact of colonialism on contemporary Philippines.

It plays at the Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville (map) and tickets are available online.

Theatrical release of first three episodes of Dragon Ball DAIMA (ドラゴンボールDaima) in Pittsburgh, from November 10.

The first three episodes of the 2024 Japanese animated series Dragon Ball DAIMA (ドラゴンボールDaima) will play in the Pittsburgh area from November 10. A brief synopsis, from the distributor:

The world English dub premiere of “Dragon Ball DAIMA”, the newest series in the Dragon Ball universe, will debut in U.S. theaters, featuring the first three episodes of the series.

Before the film, there will be a special introduction from the Japanese voice of Goku, Masako Nozawa.

It is scheduled to play locally, so far, at the Cinemark theaters in McCandless, Monaca, and Monroeville, and tickets are available online.

2024 Japanese animated movie Look Back (ルックバック) in Pittsburgh, October 6 and 7.

The 2024 Japanese animated movie Look Back (ルックバック) in Pittsburgh will play in Pittsburgh on October 6 and 7.

Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. What starts as jealousy transforms when Fujino realizes their shared passion for drawing. Based on the acclaimed manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of “Chainsaw Man”, Look Back captures the highs and lows of pursuing artistic excellence and the special bonds formed through creative collaboration. The heart-wrenching story is the stunning feature-length directorial debut from Kiyotaka Oshiyama that will leave you in tears and inspire you to chase your own artistic dreams.

Look Back was among the highest-grossing Japanese films of the summer. It is scheduled to play locally at the AMC Loews Waterfront and the Cinemark theater in Monroeville, and tickets are available online.

Japanese rock band Boris (ボリス) returns to Pittsburgh, October 18, performing entirety of Amplifier Worship.

The Japanese rock band Boris (ボリス) will return to Pittsburgh on October 18 to perform "Amplifier Worship" in its entirety.

In 2024, Boris will undergo a tour performing all the songs off their first album. We have already reached a quarter-century since the release of that 1st album, “Amplifier Worship”. Boris has been in constant pursuit of their own ideal “heavy” since their formation in 1992. From the outset they became like a chimera, evolving at a rapid pace, establishing a unique style with extreme downtuning and megavolume. Their broad sense of “Heavy Rock” swelled grotesquely, as it engulfed powerviolence, ambient and drone, with a trance component of krautrock and so on.

"Sogetsu Ikebana: Fundamentals & Techniques with Sogetsu Pittsburgh," October 5 at Contemporary Craft.

Contemporary Craft will host "Sogetsu Ikebana: Fundamentals & Techniques with Sogetsu Pittsburgh" on October 5, part of the 芸［Gei] : The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal exhibition running September 13, 2024 through January 18, 2025.

Create your own ikebana arrangement with the guidance of Sogetsu Pittsburgh.

3-Hour Workshop

Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024

Time: 10am-1pm

Description: Led by Sogetsu Pittsburgh’s founder and principal teachers Reiko Nakajima and Atsumi Sewell, this session will include an introduction to the modern Sogetsu school of Ikebana, a demonstration of the process and key techniques of crafting a basic ikebana arrangement, followed by participants creating their own arrangements with guided instruction and one-on-one feedback.

Tuition: $55 + $50 materials fee

Materials: All materials will be provided and the practice Ikebana supplies are yours to keep!