Enjoy a midday break with a free Orchid Ensemble performance at St. Mark’s Methodist Church.  The Orchid Ensemble has been tirelessly developing an innovative musical genre based on the cultural exchange between Western and Asian musicians. Since 1997, Lan Tung (Taiwan/Canada) on the erhu/Chinese violin, Xiaomei Zhu (Canada/China) on the zheng/Chinese zither, and Jonathan Bernard (Canada) on percussion have developed a bold, wide-ranging repertoire that includes traditional and contemporary music of China, Western jazz and art music, and other genres from around the world. Playful, virtuosic improvisation is a hallmark of their performances. The ensemble members are engaging and charming with audiences, too. They are “One of the brightest blossoms on the world music scene” (Georgia Straight).

Presented by the IU East Asian Studies Center.