| Behind The Scenes: | |
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Concert of Excellence 2004: Idea & Concept (October 2004) |
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Making Tracks - The Origins (September 2004) |
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Concert of Excellence (November 2003) |
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The Wedding Banquet Premiers in the US (September 2003) |
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The Wedding Banquet - On the Road (August 2003) |
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The Wedding Banquet - An Update! (July 2003) |
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The Wedding Banquet - Writing the Songs (June 2003) |
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The Wedding Banquet - Meet the Principals (May 2003) |
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Creating The Wedding Banquet (April 2003) |
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2g Meets Karaoke in a Comedy of Errors (March 2003) |
| Meet The Artist: | |
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Noriyuki "Pat" Morita - Beyond Mr. Miyagi (October 2004) |
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Woody Pak - Composer Extraordinaire (September 2004) |
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Lou Diamond Phillips - COE Honoree (November 2003) |
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Bai Ling - COE Honoree (November 2003) |
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Devanand Janki - Director, Choreographer, Actor (September 2003) |
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Jadin Wong - Dancer, Comedienne, Agent Extraordinaire (August 2003) |
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Steve Park - Comedian At Large (July 2003) |
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John Tillinger (June 2003) |
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Julie Danao (May 2003) |
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Cindy Cheung - An Actress of Many Talents (and Accents!) (April 2003) |
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Diane Paulus - Director and Co-Creator of The Karaoke Show (March 2003) |
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October 2004 Newsletter : :
Behind The Scenes : :
Meet The Artist : :
FAQ
 Not
many people discover their passion at a young age. Fortunately for Second
Generation (2g), Woody Pak did. Woody is the musical genius behind 2g's
hit musicals Making Tracks and The Wedding Banquet. Woody
discovered his zeal for the guitar at age 10 after first trying the violin
and the piano. Naming Elvis, Led Zeppelin, and Van Halen as his main influencers,
Woody reveals that unlike the piano, practicing his tunes was never a chore.
One can only imagine how his Korean parents took to his rock guitar. Luckily,
Woody knew how to fight the battle. He incorporated the classical guitar
into his routine and lived up to the "good Asian kid who plays classical
music" standard. While most teenagers locked themselves in their room with
the telephone, Woody hid for 4-6 hours at a time with his guitar preparing
for competitions. Music was everything to him at the time. "It was escape,
exultation, a live film score to my life", said Woody.He pursued his passion for music from west to east, moving from Hawaii to California to Boston where he attended MIT and finally to New York. In the Big Apple, Woody further refined his skills at the world famous Juilliard School of Music. It was at this opportune time that Welly Yang, founder of 2g, crossed paths with Woody. 2g commissioned Woody to compose the rock musical Making Tracks. Although he had not composed theatrical musicals before, the occasion to share his love for rock music was enough to convince Woody to get onboard. The rest is history. Woody speaks highly of his seven-year relationship with 2g. "It's given me two lifelong creative partners (Brian Yorkey and Welly Yang) and the privilege of having my work performed and developed." He is particularly appreciative of 2g as an entity that encourages and fosters his growth and development. "There are a lot of composers out there who never get to hear their works performed", he explained. Woody now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children. He keeps busy with his music production house, The Woodhouse. His work can be heard on TV (Black Pickett Fence, Faster, The Gentleman from Shanghai), commercials (Target, Disney Europe, Woodbridge Wine, Radio Shack, AT&T, TNT), pop music (Ultra Nate - #1 on Billboard dance charts internationally), and in theater (Making Tracks, The Wedding Banquet). Woody attributes his inspiration and success to the world around him. "Inspiration comes from everywhere", he explains, "music from other cultures, catching a wave, looking at my kids sleeping, and even fighting with my wife!" Despite his work at the production house, Woody continues to collaborate with his 2g creative partners. His latest involvement in the revival of his debut musical Making Tracks will promise to dazzle audiences with the show's original splendor and more. |