Kevin Takahide Lee | Storyteller and Musician
Fourth generation Chinese Japanese Canadian, Kevin Takahide Lee descends from a family who experienced the head tax and the Japanese Canadian Internment of WWII. Growing up in BC’s Lower Mainland he witnessed the challenges his family and immigrants faced regarding accessibility to services and preservation of their culture. This led him to work in the performing arts and advocacy.
As a firm believer that the arts must be interwoven with social needs he created and directed the Newcomers’ Choir as a way to bridge divides between immigrants and established Canadians. He has participated in panels and conferences in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Ottawa concerning Truth and Reconciliation, disability, as well as exhibited at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
During the pandemic he has been exploring Japanese culture, including the shamisen, with thanks from grants from the provincial government and the Arts Club and supporting his spouse who is a doctor working the frontlines of the pandemic.
He will roam the festival as the folk music lover Takahide (tah-kah-hee-day). This nisei (second generation Japanese Canadian) from the 1930’s will take you on a journey to and from Japan. Hear the stories and history in a melodic fashion.