From China to Appalachia: Live at the Blue Ridge Music Center

Don't miss From China to Appalachia: Live at the Blue Ridge Music Center on Saturday, August 1, 2026!
𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Blue Ridge Music Center (Milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Galax, VA)
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: Gates open at 5:45pm; show begins at 7:00pm
𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: $25 in advance / $30 day-of / $10 kids 12 & under
𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: General admission - bring a lawn chair or blanket for grass seating in the outdoor amphitheater
𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱/𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸: Pack a picnic or purchase from our on-site food vendor, Bluffs Restaurant. (Alcoholic beverages prohibited per National Park policies)
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𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗔 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗔:
Born of a friendship and mutual love of musical exploration, From China to Appalachia exemplifies 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.
Classically trained since the age of five, Chao Tian spent years working as an instructor and the director of the Arts Education Center at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). She is a founding member of BLCU Arts College's music department and has been appointed as an officer of the International Culture Exchange Program in 2019.
Chao has performed in over 30 different countries and regions across the globe and collaborated with numerous talented musicians in many unprecedented projects. In 2015, she was accepted into the prestigious Artist in Residence program at the Music Center at Strathmore, where she met Cathy Fink. Cathy has served as a mentor-in-residence in that program for fifteen years.
Two-time Grammy® Award Winners, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer Marxer are master musicians with a career spanning 40 years. Their superb harmonies are backed by instrumental virtuosity on the guitar, five-string banjo, ukulele, mandolin, cello-banjo, and more. Their repertoire ranges from classic country to western swing, gypsy jazz to bluegrass, and old-time string band to contemporary folk (including some original gems).