"The music is simply sublime, captivating, and above all, vastly entertaining… an enthralling performance music that perfectly distills the adage that music knows no boundaries” – The Hill Center, DC.

GRAMMY Award winning American Roots artists Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer join with Chinese classical hammered dulcimer player Chao Tian in this folk infused world music exploration. Chinese and American songs are accompanied on yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), gourd banjo, five-string banjo, ukulele, guitars, dumbek, cello-banjo and mandolin. 

The group’s repertoire includes traditional Chinese and Appalachian music as well as contemporary and traditional music from around the world. Unusual combinations explore new arrangements to old music, such as “Dark Eyes.” Ukulele, yangqin and guitar create a new pallet for this Russian folk song turned jazz manouche tune. Cathy and Marcy join Chao in singing a Chinese lullaby, “Nani Wan” and Chao easily adds her love of American Old-Time music to fiddle tunes and songs.

“From China to Appalachia brings together disparate musical traditions in the spirit of thoughtful inquiry and free artistic collaboration.”

– Greg Reisch, PhD, Director, Center for Popular Music, MTSU

Presented in cooperation with the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation.