Oregon Nikkei Endowment Presents Benefit Performance by Thomas Lauderdale

On Sunday, April 29, 2007, 3:30 p.m. the Oregon Nikkei Endowment will present a live performance by pianist Thomas Lauderdale, founder and artistic director of the internationally acclaimed Portland-based musical ensemble, Pink Martini. Proceeds from this performance, also featuring koto artist Masumi Timson and members of Portland Taiko, will benefit the projects of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment, the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center and the Japanese American Historical Plaza. The afternoon performance will take place at the First Unitarian Church, 1211 SW Main Street, in Portland. General Admission tickets are available at $35 per person and $32 for groups of 10 or more. Premium "Patron" tickets at $50 per person include reserved seating and an after-performance reception with the artists in the church social hall from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Funds raised through the event will support the projects of Oregon Nikkei Endowment, a tax-exempt non-profit organization created to preserve and share the history and culture of Japanese Americans from the late 1800s through the World War II-era internment of persons of Japanese descent, and beyond. The two main projects of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment are the Japanese American Historical Plaza located at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon, and the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center in the Historic Merchant Hotel building, poised in the heart of what was once Portland’s Japantown, or Nihonmachi. From this facility, which was expanded in 2004, ONLC presents exhibitions and a robust array of cultural history and community engagement programs. The organization is committed to the preservation of civil rights for all Americans and serves as a venue for cultural and research activities and a resource for the exploration of the experiences of Japanese Americans and their role in Oregon's multi-cultural communities.

Thomas Lauderdale exhibited a unique talent for music at the age of six and was classically trained as a pianist. He has appeared with the Oregon Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, Chamber Music Northwest and the Oregon Ballet and has given recitals in Boston and New York. With Pink Martini, Lauderdale has garnered an international audience through two very successful albums and tours that have taken the group to Europe, the Middle East and Asia as well as numerous U.S. appearances with major American orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at its grand opening of the new Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. Pink Martini has delighted U.S. and international audiences with a repertoire that melds the dance rhythms of Cuba, classical chamber music and the energy of a Brazilian street band. Pink Martini will release its third album, Hey Eugene!, on May 15.

Tickets for the benefit performance are available from Brown Paper Tickets at brownpapertickets.com or 1.800.838.3006 (ticket service charge applies) or by contacting the Oregon Nikkei Endowment at 503/224-1458 or onlc@oregonnikkei.org. To order group (10+) tickets, please call 503-224-1458.
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Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center
121 NW 2nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
503-224-1458
www.oregonnikkei.org
onlc@oregonnikkei.org