This fall, we welcome back the HarmoniZing Ensemble, directed by founding member and masterful erhu performer Mimi Jong. This stunning program features reinterpretations of traditional songs from China, Kazakhstan, and Turkey as well as original compositions by local musicians Jeff Berman and John Marcinizyn. In constant pursuit of their mission to “nurture cross-cultural understanding through the arts,” the members of HarmoniZing see bright spaces in the interaction between different cultures. In our current world of divisions, they believe collaboration between musicians of different cultures is an effective tool to promote mutual trust, respect and healing. They posit that in music, there are absolutely no cultural, religious, and political boundaries. The cultural blending of music and instrumentation is featured in this program with performances on the erhu, oud, ney, guitar, and pipa.

Featured Musicians:

Tom Chess: oud, ney

Jeff Berman: percussion

John Marcinizyn: guitar

Mimi Jong: erhu