The EastRiver Ensemble is a collective of top-notched musicians from north China, based out of New York City’s Chinatown, which perform under the auspices of the Mencius Society for the Arts. Drawing upon the timeless folk repertoire of the Hebei and Donbei regions of China, EastRiver plays traditional music with flair. Unlike other Chinese ensembles, EastRiver is uniquely led by the yangqin, a Chinese version of the hammered dulcimer which showcases the beauty and precision of this music. The ensemble’s style is a mark of the evolution of the Chinese repertoire. The EastRiver Ensemble also features stunning and death-defying acrobatic dance, an exhilarating tradition often seen on the stages of the dramatic and lively Chinese opera.