A wrong idea brought them together, but when Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, and Chao Tian started playing, it all sounded right
by Sunny Hubler
Chao Tian misunderstood.
She was an artist in residence at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland, in 2017 when she was approached by ukulele player Cathy Fink.
“I invited Chao to a jam session at my home with a bunch of other musicians,” Fink said. “Her English was limited then, so she thought it was about food. But when we started playing music and not reading music, she fell right in. She had never improvised before, or played Appalachian music. Our band was born right there.”The sweet fruit spread that Chao was expecting at the jam session may have been missing, but the collaboration with Fink and her performing partner, Marcy Marxer, has been producing sweet sounds ever since.
On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 21, they’ll once again present “From China to Appalachia” as the feature concert of the Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center.
The concert title is also the title of an album released in 2024 that blends Appalachian roots and jazz swing with traditional Chinese music. For Fink and Marxer, the unusual mix of East and West is all in a day’s work.
Performing together for over four decades, the duo is known not just for Grammy wins and genre-spanning catalog, but for the ability to build community through music. Their work has been fondly dubbed “social music conducting.”
“We love to empower people to make their own music,” Fink says. Whether through jam sessions,online lessons or their own Strathmore UkeFest back home, their mission is simple: get people playing together. Their special chemistry is the key to inspiring others.
Fink and Marxer, who split their time between Silver Springs, Maryland and Lansing, North Carolina, approach the ukulele as both an instrument and an invitation.
“The uke broadens our color palette,” Marxer said. “It’s sweet, versatile and fits perfectly into everything from swing and folk to original compositions.”
They’ll showcase that range on Sunday with a concert set that includes swing, old-time music and originals. The day before, each will also lead workshops — Marxer on swing uke and Fink on clawhammer technique, a right-hand style borrowed from Appalachian banjo.
On Sunday, they’ll play tenor and baritone ukuleles and other instruments. Chao’s yangqin (Chinese hammer dulcimer) will add percussive brilliance and melodic nuance. While the yangqin and American hammer dulcimer share the same fundamental playing technique (striking the strings), the yangqin is a more complex instrument with many more strings.
The trio will play songs from the 2024 album — although they may sound different because they are constantly rearranging the songs – and there will be new material.
Marxer and Fink’s joyful approach to performing fits right in with the ukulele festival’s ethos. Now in its ninth year, the festival has become not only a celebration of the instrument, but also a gathering of artists, students, and fans who believe in music as a communal force. As Fink puts it, “Festivals build community… But the seeds spread, growing new and better players, players who become friends, players who go on to teach and perform.”
Sunny Hubler is the editor of QC Exclusive Magazine of Charlotte, North Carolina. This feature is underwritten by the Journalism Arts Initiative.
Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival, Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. Saturday, Sept. 20, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.).Entrance (including fees) $60, includes access to all workshops and performances by all-star ukulele artists throughout the day. Children 12 and under are free with a paid adult. Parking is free. Ukulele Marketplace is free and open to the public, and there will be free classes for total beginners (does not include admission into the festival Saturday). For the complete schedule of workshops and performances, see losangelesukulelefestival.com/saturday. For an FAQ about everything else, see losangelesukulelefestival.com/faq.
Sunday, Sept. 21, in the center’s James Armstrong Theatre at 2 p.m., From China to Appalachia, a concert by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian, featuring ukulele, gourd banjo, five-string banjo, guitars, dumbek, cello-banjo, mandolin and yangqin (Chinese hammer dulcimer). $35 to $45 fees.
