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Jason Kao Hwang

Jason Kao Hwang has received grants from The National Endowment of the Arts, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, the Greenwall Foundation, the Manhattan Community Arts Fund and the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust for his opera Immigrant of the Womb. Immigrant of the Womb recently premiered at Dance Theater Workshop in New York City and featured soprano and baritone singers with ten musicians playing Western, Chinese and newly invented instruments. Victo Records has just released the 2nd CD of his quartet, The Far East Side Band Urban Archaeology . Their first CD, Caverns, was released in November, 1994, on New World Records. The Far East Side Band has performed in Merkin Hall (NYC), the Whitney Museum (NYC), and has toured Canada and Europe. Also in the past months Mr. Hwang performed with the percussionist Vladamir Tarasov Trio(w/Mark Dresser) at BAM, String Leaders(w/Leroy Jenkins, Diedre Murray, Calvin Hill and Newman Baker) at the Brooklyn Museum and toured Europe with the Anthony Braxton's Septet, the Reggie Workman Ensemble and the Henry Threadgill Society Situation Dance Band.

Mr. Hwang's ensemble, The Far East Side Band , features Sang-Won Park (kayagum, ajang, voice), Yukio Tsuji (world percussion, shakuhachi), Joe Daley(tuba, electronics) and the composer(electric violin, electronics). The Far East Side Band , whose originating members include both lst and 2nd generation Asian-Americans, is actively developing an American musical language that emerges from both their native cultures and their experiences in America.

As a composer/violinist Mr. Hwang has two other well-received recordings, Unfolding Stone (Sound Aspects) featuring Geoffrey Gordon, Mark Dresser, Ned Rothenberg, J.D. Parran and Wilson Moorman; and Commitment(Flying Panda), featuring Will Connell Jr., William Parker and Takeshi Zen Matsuura.

In addition, he has considerable experience in the commercial field. Recently he completed a sonic composition for the Liberty Science Center's exhibit Monsters of the Deep. He has also worked for the renown animator John Canemaker, scoring his Confessions of A Stand-Up and Welcome to the Galaxy Classroom.. He created music for The Women Outside by J.T. Takagi/Hye Jung Park, Kathe Sandler's A Question of Color(PBS), All Men Are Created Equal? by Rene Tajima, Voices in Celebration (National Gallery of Art 's 50th anniversary), Bali, Beyond the Postcard (Outside in July Productions) and The Emperor's Eye, Art and Power in China (Alvin H. Perlmutter/ Lisa Hsia Productions). In the commercial spot world, Mr. Hwang's music can be heard for Faded Glory, Swatch, Snapple and WCBS. Mr. Hwang is recorded on Henry Threadgill's Come Save the Day (Columbia) and Too Much Sugar for a Dime (Axiom), Sola Liu's China Blues (Axiom), Reggie Workman's Altered States(Leo) and Butch Morris's Dust to Dust and Testament: A Conduction Collection(New World). He has also recorded with the collective X Communication (FMP, w/Shelly Hirsch, Butch Morris, J.A. Deane, Hans Reichel, Paul Lovens, Martin Schutz and Hans Koch), the Jerome Cooper Ensemble (About -Time), Kevin Harris (Enja), Billy Bang (Celluloid) and the Williamsburg Contemporary Music Orchestra (WCM) .

He has performed with numerous artists including Borah Bergman, Fred Hopkins, Sirone, Jeff Schanzer, Michelle Kinney, David Murray, Arthur Blythe, Ushio Torikai, Sirone, Billy Bang, Frank Lowe, Sunny Murray and Ken MacIntyre. He has appeared on various stages including the Istanbul Festival (Turkey), Carnegie Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, the Village Gate, the Public Theatre, the Museum of Modern Art, the Willesau (Switzerland), the FMP(Germany), the Levercruzen (Germany), the Groningen (Denmark), Moers (Germany) and the Nickelsdorf(Austria) Festivals.

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