December 19, 2025, approaching Christmas.
My old friend Larry Covin from Hollywood invited me to attend an outdoor Christmas concert they are hosting.
Larry is a black singer, creator, and producer active in the fields of music and film in the United States. His voice is warm and infectious, with a music style that blends soul music, R&B, and contemporary pop elements. His works often start from personal experiences, touching on themes of identity, emotional relationships, and growth. In his music, one can hear the traditional roots of black music and also feel the self-renewal in contemporary contexts.
Besides music, Larry is also the founder of Coco Production, a film and television company. The company focuses on the development and production of original film and television content, emphasizing multicultural perspectives and authentic narratives, providing expression space for black people and other long neglected groups. Whether it's drama films, documentaries, or music videos, these works continue his core concern in music - about family, community, social reality, and personal struggle.
Larry and I met at an event in Hollywood many years ago. Afterwards, we kept reuniting in different artistic occasions. On August 7, 2021, I invited him to participate in the Heritage Cup International Art Festival in the United States. While he was singing on stage, his personal image appeared on the big screen. After the performance, we held his CD and took a group photo as a souvenir. Later, we were also invited to attend the Halloween party hosted by President Elaine Thomas of the Joy Luck Club. Friendship is slowly accumulated through the intersection of art and life.
On the program list of this Christmas concert, Larry's longtime friend also appeared
Captain David Junes.
He was one of the captains of the SS Lane Victory during World War II. Jules is not well-known for a legendary battle, but represents countless merchant ship captains who silently took on important responsibilities during that era. In transoceanic navigation, he must deal with submarine threats, harsh sea conditions, and high-intensity transportation tasks to ensure the safety of ships and crew. He is known for his calmness, restraint, and sense of responsibility, and is a stabilizing presence in storms.
SS Lane Victory was launched in 1945 and crossed the Pacific to transport food, vehicles, and soldiers to the front lines, witnessing the end of the war. After the war, she also participated in humanitarian and logistical transportation during the Korean War. After retirement, this ship was preserved and anchored at the Port of Los Angeles, becoming one of the few Victory ships still navigable. Today, when boarding ships, people can still hear the echoes of history left by steel and faith in the narrow cabins and engine rooms.
(Photo quoted from the internet)
The concert is hosted by singer and actress Cynthia Covin. Although this is an outdoor performance without the lighting and chasing effect of an indoor stage, it showcases the warm atmosphere and colors unique to Christmas in simplicity.
The first to appear was the singer Robert Brooks. He has been performing for over thirty years, bringing to the audience "Blue Christmas," "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas. His voice was steady and restrained, singing the classic Christmas song with the thickness of time.
The second person to appear is myself - Arthur Peng. As a writer, actor, and bilingual host in both Chinese and English, I have chosen a cross lingual singing style. I sang a Chinese song called 'Old Love Song', but presented the key words in English: 'Although you cannot stay with me forever, you will be in my heart forever.' Then, I sang the English version of 'Fairy Tale'.
The third performer on stage is Larry Covin. He sang 'What a Wonderful World', accompanied by Michael Graham's saxophone, and his warm and affectionate voice injected festive light into this winter night.
The fourth group performed by Jim and Christine Justus, a white male and female singer duo active in Los Angeles. They performed "Rockin 'Around the Christmas Tree," "Jingle Bell Rock," and "Santa Baby" with tacit duet and sincere emotions, and the audience burst into laughter and applause.
The fifth contestant is Adam Robert Shaw, a Hollywood director, actor, and musician. He played guitar, sang and composed his own songs, bringing "The Christmas Song" (from The Chipmunks), original song "Cookie Delight", and humorous "Mr. Laurel and Hardy". His relaxed performance brought the atmosphere to a climax.
The finale was Cynthia Covin, who performed a duet with her fianc é Reggie Akin. They sang Sam Cooke's "You Send Me", "White Christmas", and the classic "The Christmas Song" (Nat King Cole), putting a gentle and complete end to the entire concert.
Captain David Juanes sat in the front row, always holding his camera and taking photos for each performer. I saw Larry at his concert four years ago. In this conversation, he invited Larry and me to visit SS Lane Victory and have lunch together. I hardly hesitated and immediately responded, 'This is a very good idea!'
After the concert, the audience was still unsatisfied and continued to gather in front of the stage, lingering among the stalls full of Christmas atmosphere. I suddenly realized that I was the only Chinese on stage, while the audience and vendors below were almost all Americans. At that moment, I felt like I had become the 'representative of China' in this Christmas concert.
In the crowd, there were men, women, and children of African American, Latinx, and Hispanic descent who talked, hugged, and laughed with each other, creating a natural festive atmosphere. At the farewell, Larry invited me to come back and sing next year. And I have also decided to invite him to attend our upcoming Chinese Spring Festival Gala in Hollywood in January next year.
The music ended and the crowd gradually moved away.
And that night, I felt it even more clearly——
The United States is not just a country,
It is also a song composed of different voices working together.
(Photo provided by Larry Covin, or collected and taken by the author)
