A Celebration of Our Region’s Asian American Voices

The Western Illinois Museum is proud to collaborate with the Asian American Heritage Coalition (AAHC) to host a special community event that will mark the launch of the Asian American Heritage Coalition and its new podcast series. The event will be held on Saturday, March 29th, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Western Illinois Museum. Join us in celebrating the contributions of our region’s Asian and Asian American residents through stories, music, and community.

Over the last year, AAHC founder Maureen Marx has gathered oral histories from local residents of Asian and Asian American descent, as well as their partners and supporters, documenting their experiences and contributions to our community. Her collaboration with the Western Illinois Museum is part of the Museum’s ongoing efforts to create an archive of local stories, ensuring that many voices are heard and included within our community’s historical narrative. During the event, Marx will introduce the work of the Asian American Heritage Coalition and play excerpts from the upcoming podcast episodes. 

The occasion also marks the premiere of “Like the Wind,” a composition by Western Illinois University (WIU) Professor Hong-Da Chin, created specifically for the project and featured in the accompanying podcast series. Chin will perform the piece on the Chinese dizi flute, accompanied by pianist Po-Chuan Chiang who is also a WIU Professor.

The dizi is a type of Chinese bamboo transverse flute that dates back over 2,000 years. It features a unique membrane between the mouthpiece and the instrument’s body. This membrane vibrates when air is blown through the flute, creating a distinctive buzzing effect that enhances its clear and resonant sound. After the Qing Dynasty, the dizi gained prominence as an accompaniment instrument in folk music, operas, and musicals.

The program will also feature a selection of traditional repertoire, showcasing the instrument’s expressive qualities and traditional playing techniques.

This event provides a unique opportunity to experience and celebrate the rich contributions of Macomb’s Asian and Asian American residents while enjoying the unmatched beauty and expressiveness of traditional Chinese music. 

Doors and bar will open at 5:00 pm, with appetizers and hot tea available. There will be a special musical offering by local Asian American youth at 5:15 pm. The program will begin at 5:30 with music and a brief introduction to the work of the Asian American Heritage Coalition. There is a suggested $5 donation at the door.

About The Asian American Heritage Coalition

The Asian American Heritage is a nonprofit educational organization that seeks to provide the West Central Illinois region accurate and comprehensive information about Asians’ and Asian Americans’ diverse backgrounds, histories, and contributions to the United States. Its goal is to identify and dismantle misinformation and harmful stereotypes about people of Asian descent living in the Midwest so that they can foster stronger cultural ties with the community built on understanding, empathy, and respect.

About the Musicians

Malaysian composer Hong-Da Chin’s music has been performed in the United States, Germany, France, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Austria, Poland, Israel, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore. In addition to being a composer, Chin is an accomplished Chinese flutist specializing in contemporary music. He has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in NYC, the John  F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park in Chicago. He is currently a faculty in Composition and Music Theory at Western Illinois University. Beyond his musical activities, he is an avid badminton player. >>Learn more about Hong-Da Chin and listen to his music.

Po-Chuan Chiang, a native of Taiwan, performs nationally and internationally. Dr. Chiang has worked with many performers, both instrumental and vocal, in multiple styles and genres. During the summer, Dr. Chiang worked as a pianist for the opera program Scuola Italia in Sant’Angelo in Vado, Italy, at Interlochen Center for the Arts, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. In 2018, he performed in the winners’ concert of the American Protégé Competition in the Chamber Music category at Carnegie Hall. Dr. Chiang currently works as a staff accompanist at Western Illinois University. 

Po-Chuan holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan. In 2009, he received a Master of Music Degree in piano performance at the Boston Conservatory of Music where he was hired as a staff accompanist the same year after he graduated. In 2017, he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance under Dr. Ian Hobson at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This program is funded in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council.

The Western Illinois Museum is a non-profit organization celebrating and nurturing the history, culture, and traditions of McDonough County. It is quickly becoming a vibrant community hub that features exhibits, an open collection area, lectures, music, and other programs in a historic building. The Museum is located at 201 S. Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square.

A full schedule of events can be found at wimuseum.org or follow on social media @wimuseum. For further information, call 309-837-2750, text 309-837-2613, or email info@wimuseum.org.