𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐚:
From China to Appalachia was borne of a friendship and mutual love of musical exploration speaking to the power of music to connect cultures. American Roots artists Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer join with Chinese classical hammered dulcimer player Chao Tian in a show that combines music from China to Appalachia and beyond. Instrumentation includes 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.

𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐝𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐮̄𝐳 𝐀𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐮𝐨:
The award-winning Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo, featuring Valerie and Benedict Turner, are dedicated ambassadors of country blues, Piedmont-style fingerpicking, and traditional roots percussion. As storytellers and cultural historians with a mission to celebrate the profound contributions of early African American artists, their performances bring the musical heyday of the 1920s and ’30s to life. Piedmont Blūz weaves rich, historical anecdotes into every performance, delivering world-class musicianship and essential cultural narratives on domestic and international stages. The duo is featured in the award-winning documentary, A Man Called Hurt: The Life and Music of Mississippi John Hurt, are recipients of the prestigious Jalopy Folk Award, and have been inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame.