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Our Body of Work
Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu are co-founders of First Voice, a creative duo blending theater, music, and cultural storytelling. Their acclaimed discography spans jazz, Japanese court music, spoken word, and digital media — rooted in the Japanese American experience and global diaspora. Through concerts, albums, and live multimedia productions, they create deeply resonant work that bridges tradition and innovation.
Brenda Wong Aoki Named 2025 Rainin Arts Fellow
This luminous recognition celebrates Brenda’s lifelong dedication to storytelling, multidisciplinary performance, and community-rooted art.
Launched in 2021 and administered by United States Artists, The Rainin Arts Fellowship recognizes artists who push creative boundaries, anchor local communities and advance the arts field. The 2025 Fellows form an intergenerational cohort deeply rooted in the Bay Area, whose dedication and visionary artistic practices have shaped and strengthened the region’s cultural fabric.
Celebrating Brenda’s legacy and this powerful recognition by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, which honors artists anchoring communities and shaping the future of the arts.
“My partner and husband, Mark Izu, recently passed away. For nearly 50 years, we made art together in the City. The organization we founded, First Voice, lost 75% of its funding under the new administration. I’m 72 years old — and yet this award feels like a luminous pearl, shining in the midst of darkness and chaos. It reminds me that I’m still here, still doing the work I was put on this planet to do. I am uplifted. I am grateful. And I promise to use this honor to nourish us all.”
Watch Brenda’s Interview for the 2025 Rainin Arts Fellow In Theater
About Our Story
49 years ago, a young woman and a young man decided to create works of art that would change the hearts and minds of people so that together, all of us could make the world a better place.
Thus was born...
FIRST VOICE
The Home of
Culture Bearers, Wisdom Keepers & Truth Tellers since 1976
Presented by
BRENDA WONG AOKI & MARK IZU
Prize of Hope Award 2024
Prize of Hope is an award given in both Europe and the US in partnership between Aasen Teater and Dell'Arte International . "It is given to a person or a theatre who has worked for human hope; daring, loving, vulgar, serious, poetic and always with sparkling energy, against conventional thinking, which is the gravest threat to our cultures: For a world where people use their own eyes, ears and voices.” Read more
“Their work gives voice to those who are not often heard. And that is an act of hope that makes them very deserving of the 2024 Prize of Hope.”
We’ve been recognized by Theatre Bay Area
Homegrown - This production is creating jobs and creative opportunities right here in the Bay Area!
This achievement goes to productions that make a significant commitment to promoting, developing, and strengthening the talents of theatremakers right here in the Bay Area. This achievement also includes productions that have connections with local apprenticeship programs. Want to see a show that is by and for local theatre artists? Visit Theatre Bay Area’s What’s Playing
Coming Soon - Soul of the City Film (2025)
Currently in Post-Production
Past Performances
The 4th Annual
Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora 2024: Why Story
Free International Virtual (online) Event
Saturday, July 27th 10AM - 12PM
Why Story created and conceived by America’s first nationally recognized Asian American storyteller, Brenda Wong Aoki
First Voice presents the 4th annual Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora: Why Story created and conceived by America’s first nationally recognized Asian American storyteller, Brenda Wong Aoki and Asian American jazz pioneer composer Mark Izu. The purpose of the annual Story Circle is to bring together the lost tribe of people of Japanese descent who were forced to scatter during the incarceration, embrace our mixed-racechildren and the Shin-Issei community in order to heal,comfort, & strengthen through the power of personal story. Sharing our stories helps us to understand our history, its impact on our lives and lights the way to make future together.
Story Circle is a heart-centered event. All presenters and facilitators are artists, healers or spiritual leaders. 100+ people from all of the U.S. and abroad gather each year. Please bring a personal talisman and family photo(s) to share. (link to StoryCircle page on the First Voice website)
This year’s story circle features host Eryn Kimura (Hapa Gosei filmmaker & multimedia artist, San Francisco), Hafez Modirzadeh (Persian composer/musician, San Francisco) Kenny Endo (Taiko Master, Hawaii), Mas Koga (Shin-Issei musician/composer, New York), Derek Nakamoto (Hapa Sansei composer/musician Los Angeles), Sara Sithi-Amnuai (Hapa Nisei musician, Los Angeles) devorah major (3rd poet laureate of San Francisco), Alton Takiyama-Chung (master storyteller Hawaii), Eshu Bumpus (master storyteller Massachusetts), Motoko (Master storytellerMassachusetts) and a digital collage designed by Andi Wong. Facilitators are from all over the U.S., Hawaii, Canada, and Brazil.
Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora is produced by First Voice and commissioned by: The San Francisco Arts Commission, Supervisor Preston & District 5, Grants for the Arts, The Hewlett Foundation, the Office of Economic Workforce Development City and County of San Francisco
AAPI HERITAGE MONTH IS HERE!
"During the month of May, explore Asian American & Pacific Islander culture through films, foods, and books. The APA Heritage Foundation works with our Official Celebration Partners the Asian Art Museum, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and the San Francisco Public Library to compile a Celebration Guide with a list of activities and events in the San Francisco Bay Area taking place in May." (apasf.gov)
Want to help spread the word about AAPI Heritage Month?
Facebook: @APAHERITAGESF
Instagram: @APASF
Twitter: @APAHERITAGES
Our Mission
First Voice’s mission is to create and present the stories and music of people living between worlds. We are the nation’s only arts organization dedicated to multiracial people, one of the fastest growing demographics in the US. Through the pursuit of this distinct purpose, co-founders Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu have contributed to the American cultural canon since 1976. Our core programming is creating, presenting, recording, and producing multidisciplinary new work rooted in this mission.
We are YBCA 2023 Honorees!
" Launched in 2014, the YBCA 100 list publicly celebrates artists, activists, and leaders who are committed to building regenerative and equitable communities. These fierce innovators work steadfastly through art and activism to provoke, inspire, ground, heal, and bring us together when we need it most." (YBCA)
In previous years, the YBCA 100 list has included national and international honorees. This year YBCA decided to focus on local Bay Area individuals and organizations. As artists who have been telling the stories of San Francisco since 1976, we are especially excited to be recipients of this year's award. We are proud to live in this city and make art that speaks to its history, cultural complexity, and collective resilience.
Our Artists and Collaborators Past and Present
Click thumbnails to view titles and dates of artworks
Brenda & Mark Awarded MAP Fund 2019
“J-town, Chinatown: Our Town” – a multidisciplinary and multimedia work, written by Brenda Wong Aoki, scored by award-winning jazz musician Mark Izu with Chinese & Japanese American home movies by Stephen Gong of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM)
Brenda Wong Aoki and CAAM Awarded 2018 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission
for “J-Town, Chinatown, Our Town”
PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
[for more, visit our Press Page]
Gallery of First Voice
Stay in touch!
Celebrating 40 Years As A Performing Arts Duo
NBC Bay Area features Brenda and Mark as "master storyteller" and "Emmy Award Winning Composer" on their 40th anniversary
