'Sound of Harvest 2026' bridges cultures through music

Sound of Harvest 2026, a cross-cultural music event presented by the Chinese Musicians Association of North America, will bring musicians from different cultural backgrounds and generations together in New Jersey, United States, in September.

The event will be held on Sept 12 at Rutgers University's Nicholas Music Center and Sept 13 at Montclair State University's Memorial Auditorium. Now in its third year, the concert explores how music can connect cultures across time and geography.

This year's program will take audiences on a musical journey from Dunhuang and the Silk Road to contemporary cross-cultural sounds. It will feature traditional Chinese instruments including the pipa, guzheng and erhu, alongside piano, strings, jazz, traditional Japanese instruments and African rhythms.

The program will also showcase works by younger musicians, including Blossom Street, an original chamber piece by young composer and flutist Tiffany Qianxun Zhao inspired by classical Chinese poetry.

The concert will conclude with Passion Under the Moon by Chinese yangqin master and composer Xiong Junjie, blending traditional Chinese instrumental sounds with Latin rhythms.

Through musical encounters between different traditions and generations, Sound of Harvest 2026 seeks to demonstrate how music can transcend cultural boundaries and serve as a universal language.

The Rutgers concert will begin at 7 pm on Sept 12, following a 6 pm pre-show. The Montclair State University concert will begin at 3 pm on Sept 13, following a 2 pm pre-show.

Through encounters between traditional instruments, contemporary compositions and musicians from different cultural backgrounds, Sound of Harvest 2026 continues to explore music as a universal language capable of crossing cultural boundaries.