Rain Will Come What May is a music short film dedicated to the people of Los Angeles. Through the use of haiku and music, this film portrays the mystery behind the perseverance and resilience of love, even in dry and desolate conditions. Like the cacti that survive on the water they store, so too must one Angeleno find love within herself.
Music by Jiyoun Chung
Poem by José Faus
Directed and Edited by Neal Thibedeau
Ryan Nguyen, Director of Photography
Janet Szepei Todd, Soprano/Actor
Mark Lanz Weiser, Piano
Jiyoun Chung, Composer
Jiyoun Chung is a pianist composer, originally from South Korea. Since she moved to the USA in 2008, her pieces have been performed at festivals and concerts in Americas, Europe, and Asia. Chung currently teaches composition and music theory at Central Washington University. Outstanding musicians and groups including Ensemble Dal Niente, Invoke, Aguascalientes Symphony Orchestra, Unheard-of//Ensemble, Columbia Chamber Choir, Locrian Chamber Players, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus, Catchfire Collective, Irene Novi, Jonathan Levin, April Kim, Mark Anderson, Ji Hee Kim, and many others have commissioned or performed Chung’s pieces.
José Faus, Poet
JOSÉ FAUS, a Bogota, Colombia native and longtime Kansas City resident, is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, independent teacher, and founding member of the Latino Writers Collective. He is the 2011 winner of the Poets & Writers Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award, sits on the boards of UMKC Friends of the Library and Charlotte Street, and is the former President of the Board of Directors of The Writers Place. José has been involved in many mural works in the Kansas City area, Mexico, and most recently Bolivia, where he received a cultural ambassador grant from the U.S. State Department. He maintains a studio practice in downtown Kansas City, KS.
Janet Todd, Soprano
Janet Szepei Todd is an Australian soprano based in Los Angeles. She began her career performing roles with companies across Australia, including Opera Australia, Victorian Opera, Pinchgut Opera, and as a soloist with The Australian Ballet, Sydney Philharmonia and more. Janet completed her Master of Music at the Manhattan School of Music in 2016 and has since been performing in the US with companies including Pacific Opera Project, Opera Columbus, New York Opera Projects, and is a current member of the Los Angeles Opera Chorus. Janet is passionate about new music and is excited to be working with New Opera West.