World Music: Travel with HarmoniZing through China, Kazakhstan, & Turkey

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

About the Artist:

Mimi Jong has a diverse musical background acquired from being born and raised in Indonesia, educated in Germany, and immigrating to the United States. Since age 11, she has been performing erhu, an ancient, Chinese, two-string, bowed instrument. By moving beyond tradition and embracing the erhu’s versatility, Mimi has performed with jazz, folk and classical musicians, conducted educational workshops, and performed at music festivals and universities. With the mission of nurturing cross-cultural connections through art, Mimi has co-founded multiple projects. Demonstrating her open mind and musical flexibility, Mimi collaborated with oud master TomChess, Persian santur master Dr. Dariush Saghafi and tombak master Mahmoud Tehrani. Mimi’s cross-disciplinary involvements include collaboration with Mary Miller Dance Company, and artist Jennifer Myers theatrical productions, creating ground-breaking, cinematic performances. Mimi was a recipient of 2014 “Master Artists and Tradition Bearers Award” from Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. In addition, she serves as the music program director for “Silk Screen Arts and Cultural Organization” and the board president and founding member of “HarmoniZing,” where her contributions include recruiting renowned artists for local concerts and residencies, and providing a platform to encourage diversity in Pittsburgh’s music scene.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant Cucina Alfabeto is open for dinner from 5-9pm. Please visit Open Table or call 412-435-1111 to make a reservation.