Ho, Fred Wei-han

Fred Ho, the Asian American musician, composer, writer, and activist combines music and politics to fight discrimination and redefine American identity. Fred Wei-han Houn (later Fred Ho) was born in 1957 in Palo Alto, California. He attended Harvard University and graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. After graduation he played saxophone and composed occasionally while working in construction. In 1981, Ho left the Boston area for New York, where he focused on building a professional career in music. Up to 1988, he led the Asian American Arts Ensemble, a group with which he produced two albums.In 1982, Ho formed the Afro Asian Music Ensemble and demonstrated incredible talent in composing his own pieces and leading not only the Afro Asian Music Ensemble and the Asian American Arts Ensemble, but the Monkey Orchestra and the Afro Asian Arts Dialogue as well. Fred Ho continues to be an active member of the Asian American community. He is the founder of Guerilla Music Productions, co-founder of AsianImprov Records, and owner and founder of Transformation Art Publisher. He lectures regularly to university audiences and has spoken at numerous conferences on the arts and Asian American affairs. By combining political activism with artistic integrity, Ho is able to pursue his goal of redefining American cultural identity to include not only Euro-American culture and values but those of Asian/Pacific Americans, African Americans, Native Americans and Chicanos as well.

From the description of Fred Ho papers, 1892-1996. (University of Connecticut). WorldCat record id: 162596537