W I N N I E W O N G
E V E N T S
May 30, 2026
"Celebrating the Zither:
Asian American Identity and Cultural Survival"
Featuring Shirley Muramoto (koto)
& Winnie Wong (guzheng)
7 - 9pm
Location: Oakland Asian Cultural Center
ADMISSION & Info
www.oacc.cc
**Food collaboration: special promotion with Sakura Bistro and Peony Restaurant!
About Celebrating the Zither:
Asian American Identity and Cultural Survival invites audiences into a powerful musical journey with accomplished musicians Shirley Muramoto and Winnie Wong, where tradition becomes resilience and heritage becomes liberation. Through the luminous sounds of the koto and guzheng, this program explores how cultural access is not just preservation—but survival—especially in the wake of histories like Japanese American incarceration and the ongoing shaping of Asian American identity.
Though visually similar, the koto and guzheng carry distinct cultural lineages, each echoing stories of endurance, adaptation, and belonging. In this concert, they meet in collaboration and creative reimagining—bridging past and present, individuality and shared experience.
This is a celebration of multiplicity: of holding many worlds at once, of honoring what makes us unique while finding connection through sound. Through new works, cross-cultural dialogue, and bold reinterpretations, Celebrating the Zither offers a space where music becomes a living testament to identity, memory, and the freedom to define what it means to be Asian-American.
"To my audiences,
Ancient strings stir—each note a ripple from dynasties past. The guzheng’s voice rises, shimmering with stories of rivers, mountains, and moonlit courts, then flows into fresh currents of today. In its timbre we hear both the hush of antiquity and the heartbeat of the present.
Join me, where elegance meets adventure: time-honored melodies entwine with modern colors, carrying listeners—seasoned connoisseurs and curious newcomers alike—on a luminous journey through China’s musical soul. Come listen as yesterday reverberates into now, and tradition, ever-alive, sings forward.”
- Winnie Wong
2 0 2 4 F E A T U R E D P R O J E C T
“Echoes Beyond the Border" - duo zheng composition bringing the ancient melody in to contemporary form across 42 strings performed by Winnie Wong.
Dedicated to all my loved ones...
"As we leave our past behind and step toward an uncertain destiny, the echoes of what once was linger, carrying lessons, faces, and memories that weigh heavily upon us. They fortify us even as they remind us of all we've lost. The path ahead will test the depths of our hearts, yet the haunting voices of our past will remain, whispering, urging us forward through the darkness."