BRMC to host From China to Appalachia on Aug. 1

The Blue Ridge Music Center will host an evening of American roots, bluegrass and international folk music with From China to Appalachia and Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, in the venue's scenic outdoor amphitheater on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This year's Deep Roots, Many Voices concert series marks the 25th anniversary of live shows at the Music Center. Grammy Award-winning American roots artists Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer join with Chinese classical hammered dulcimer player Chao Tian in From China to Appalachia — a performance that speaks to the power of music to connect cultures. The group's repertoire includes traditional Chinese and Appalachian music as well as contemporary and traditional music from around the world, played on instruments including yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), gourd banjo, five-string banjo, ukulele, guitars, dumbek, cello-banjo and mandolin. Described as "The Silk Road meets Appalachia and beyond," this virtuosic trio has been touted by NPR, the BBC, and NBC Nightly News. Their unique sound became a viral hit on TikTok in 2025 when a video of the group performing traditional tunes from Emmett Lundy (an influential 1800s old-time fiddle player from Galax featured in the Music Center's Roots of American Music Museum) on banjo and Chinese hammered dulcimer surpassed 1 million likes. The Saturday concert opens with Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo featuring Valerie and Benedict Turner — dedicated ambassadors of country blues, Piedmont-style fingerpicking and traditional roots percussion. As storytellers and cultural historians with a mission to celebrate the profound contributions of early African American artists, their performances bring the musical heyday of the 1920s and '30s to life. Piedmont Blūz weaves rich, historical anecdotes into every performance, delivering world-class musicianship and essential cultural narratives on domestic and international stages. The duo is featured in the award-winning documentary, "A Man Called Hurt: The Life and Music of Mississippi John Hurt," are recipients of the prestigious Jalopy Folk Award, and have been inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame. Concerts are held rain or shine. The BRMC is accessible for people with disabilities and offers assistive listening devices for use during concerts. Food will be available for purchase during the concert from The Bluffs Restaurant. Concertgoers are welcome to bring picnics. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted. Advance tickets and pricing are available at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org. BRMC is located at Music Center Road, Galax, Virginia, at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information, call (866) 308-2773, ext. 212. Day-of tickets can be purchased on the evening of the concert at the admission gates. Parking opens at 5:15 p.m. and is free. The amphitheater gates open at 5:45 p.m. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the BRMC preserves, interprets and presents the evolving musical traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The BRMC is a national park facility, a major attraction along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a venue partner of The Crooked Road: Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, and Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina. For more information, visit BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org. The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park to the north with Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the south. The route travels the crests, ridges, and valleys of five major mountain ranges, encompassing several geographic and vegetative zones ranging from 600 to more than 6,000 feet above sea level. It provides visitors with many varied vistas of scenic Appalachian landscapes ranging from forested ridgetops and mountain slopes to rural farm lands and urban areas. The Parkway offers a "ride-a-while, stop-a-while" experience that includes scenic pullouts, recreation areas, historic sites, and visitor contact stations. It is known nationally and internationally for its designed landscape as a scenic motorway. nps.gov/blri/ Programming at the Music Center is supported by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The organization helps to ensure cultural and historical preservation, natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations. To learn more, visit BRPFoundation.org.