Sound of Harvest Concert 2026

Presented by the Chinese Musicians Association of North America (CMA-NA), Sound of Harvest 2026 will take place on September 12 at the Rutgers University Nicholas Music Center.

For three consecutive years, this autumn musical celebration has brought together musicians across different cultures, musical traditions, and generations onto a single stage.

September 12, 2026
Pre-show · 6:00 PM
Main Concert · 7:00 PM
Rutgers University, Nicholas Music Center
85 George St., New Brunswick
Purchase tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/the-sound-of-harvest-concert-rutgers-university-nicholas-music-center
Promo Code for students ($15 off general admission price): RutgersGlobal15

This year, several artists will be joining Sound of Harvest for the first time:

Kaoru Watanabe: Composer and cross-cultural musician, collaborator on the Grammy Award–winning album Sing Me Home, and longtime collaborator with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble. His cross-cultural artistic project Bloodlines Interwoven received support from the Mellon Foundation. This year, he joins Sound of Harvest on the taiko drum and shinobue.
Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng: Ghanaian master drummer, composer, dancer, and educator who has taught at Brown University since 1988. He has long been dedicated to building bridges and connections across cultures through rhythm and music.
Jason Priset: Lute player and faculty member at Montclair State University. The classical lute will bring a rare and distinct tone to this year's stage.

At the same time, core members of Sound of Harvest will return to the stage:

SHU Zhan: First Assistant Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra and Visiting Professor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Cathy Yang: Erhu virtuoso, founding member of the 6-Wire Ensemble, and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Delaware.
XIA Jing: Guzheng virtuoso, advocate for cross-cultural arts, music scholar, and Adjunct Professor at the Bard-US China Music Institute. 
YANG JIN: Golden Bell Award–winning pipa virtuoso, Silkroad Ensemble collaborator, and Pipa faculty at the Bard-US China Music Institute. 
BIN Hu: Classical guitarist and co-founder of  Duo Chinoiserie. 
Lina Zha: Vocalist specializing in traditional Chinese, classical, and jazz music.
Vince di Mura: Jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who has taught at Princeton University since 1987. Professor Vince returns to create brand-new arrangements for this fusion ensemble.

This year, we also welcome new, young faces:

Yifei Xu: Pianist, Executive Director of BlackBox Ensemble, and Operations Manager for the New Jersey Festival Orchestra.
Matthew Armbruster: Cellist and co-founder of Tetractys New Music, dedicated to contemporary music composition and performance, making his debut at Sound of Harvest. 
Tiffany Qianxun Zhao: 12th-grade composer and flutist who will perform her original chamber piece inspired by classical Chinese poetry alongside the ensemble.
Xitong Yao: Double bassist studying philosophy and art history.
Joyce Yan: 14-year-old multi-instrumentalist performing in this year’s ensemble.