Eric Nam, Raveena to perform at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC announced Tuesday that Korean singer-songwriter Eric Nam and American singer-songwriter Raveena will be headline performers for the museum’s two-week festival celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May.

Eric Nam and Raveena’s performances will take place on the last day of the festival, May 13, at the museum’s stage in the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building. The festival begins on May 1. The artists’ performances will be broadcasted to visitors on the National Mall and Freer Plaza as well.

Performances will be free to the public though only those with tickets will be allowed to enter the Arts and Industries Building to see the show live.

The Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival is the National Museum of Asian Art’s first large-scale festival in recognition of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month which is in May.

Some of the event’s highlights include: the Washington premiere of acclaimed Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo’s oratorio “Angel Island” (2021) presented in partnership with Washington Performing Arts and the United States Air Force Band; a 1920s silent film with live accompaniment by Chinese-American Min Xiao-Fen; a virtual program by New York-based Software Development company Shared Studios; and an Asian food and artisan market.

May’s festival is part of the museum’s yearlong events celebrating its 100-year anniversary. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art was founded in 1923 with the aim to preserve, exhibit, research and interpret Asian art. It contains more than 45,000 objects from China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Islamic world, making its collection one of North America’s largest ones focusing on Asian art.

Further details about Nam and Raveena’s performances will be released on social media.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]