Celebrate Asia Pasifika: Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika! An Evening of Filipino Music

All are welcome to attend Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika! An Evening of Filipino Music, featuring Walter Tambor, Isabella Dawis, and Paolo Debuque, along with students from Pamilya Pinoy in celebration of AANHIPI Heritage Month on May 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Boe Memorial Chapel hosted by the Asian Conversations program.

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 Asian Studies Department, Academic Civic Engagement, Leraas Fund, Taylor Center for Equity and Inclusion, and Northfield Public Library.