Celebrate Asia Pasifika: May 2025

Broadening Vision & Hmong Oles

Eric Becklin & Valeng Cha

Date: May 5, 2025 (Monday)
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Location: Northfield Public Library

As part of St. Olaf’s 150th Anniversary Celebration and its commitment to highlighting lesser-known stories, Eric Becklin and Valeng Cha will share insights into St. Olaf’s long-standing connections to Asia. Their talk, “Broadening Vision: The Complexity of St. Olaf’s Early Chinese Students and Lutheran Missions, 1918-1948” and “Hmong Oles: From Mountaintops to the Hilltops of St. Olaf,” respectively, will focus on two key narratives: the early history of Chinese international students, which began in the 1910s, and the experiences of Hmong students at St. Olaf, particularly over the past few decades.

Becklin, class of ‘12, teaches on the history and geography of East Asia at St. Olaf College. His research specializes in the Lutheran Church of China and questions of indigeneity and globality of Christianity as well as local and transnational social networks that come with belonging to a religious community. He is defending his doctoral dissertation later this year on the subject of the Lutheran Church in China, its formation as an institution, and its connection of Chinese Christians with the world via their Lutheran identity.

Cha, class of 95, is the former Director of Government, Foundation, and Corporate Relations at St. Olaf College. Coming from an immigrant family, he was a first-generation college student. 

Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika! An Evening of Filipino Music

Date: May 6, 2025 (Tuesday)
Time: 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Location: Boe Chapel
Performers: Paolo Debuque, Walter Tambor, Isabella Dawis, and students from Pamilya Pinoy

In celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month, the Asian Conversations program will present Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika! An Evening of Filipino Music.

Walter Tambor is a Minneapolis-based pianist, choral director, and music educator. He teaches at MacPhail Center for Music and is the Music Director of LeagueAires, a 50-voice women’s choir dedicated to sharing the joy and healing power of music. From 2008 to 2023, he was Accompanist and Associate Conductor of the Minneapolis Youth Chorus, and from 2004 to 2022, he directed Contemporary and World Music at the Basilica of Saint Mary. He has worked extensively in theater and currently sings with the Minnesota Chorale. Before moving to Minneapolis, he taught and mentored foster children through the Chicago Children’s Choir Academy and DePaul University, and served as Assistant Organist/Choir Director at Saint Clement Church. Walter holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and DePaul University.

Isabella Dawis is a Filipina-American singer, actor, and writer of musical theater, plays, and operas. She is a 2023–25 Jerome Hill Artist Fellow and has performed as a soprano with organizations such as Minnesota Opera, the New York Philharmonic Biennial, and Skylark Opera. Her acting credits include productions with the Guthrie Theater, Theater Mu, Ten Thousand Things, and more. Isabella has received the Kleban Prize, Fred Ebb Award, Weston-Ghostlight New Musical Award, and an American Opera Project fellowship. Her original work has been supported by the Atlanta Opera, Theater Latté Da, Berkeley Rep, the Kurt Weill Foundation, and other leading arts institutions.

Paolo Debuque is a Filipino- and Chinese-American conductor based in Minneapolis, known for innovative programming and community-centered art. He currently leads the St. Olaf Chapel Choir and Viking Chorus. Paolo is the Founding Artistic Director of A Thousand Tongues, an arts organization uplifting Asian-American stories through music. His recent work includes a residency at Luther College and a collaboration with the Minnesota Chorale. He studied at Swarthmore College, earned his MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Michigan, and is pursuing a DMA at the University of Minnesota. His mentors include Jerry Blackstone, Simon Carrington, and Dale Warland.

Sponsored by the Leraas Fund.