Pan-Asian Music, Dance & Storytelling in the Forest Preserves

Celebrate Asian Heritage Month with a unique outdoor cultural experience in the Cook County Forest Preserves. Pan-Asian artists will come together for a special performance that brings music, dance, and storytelling into the natural landscape.

Musicians representing South Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian traditions will perform in a collaborative set that blends diverse cultural sounds and styles. Inspired by personal reflections on nature collected through interviews by the Mandala team, the performance shares stories about memory, land, and community.

Southeast Asian dancers will also lead an interactive dance workshop, inviting audience members to learn simple movements and participate in the experience. No dance experience is needed, and everyone is welcome to join.

Set within the beauty of the forest preserves, this free event offers a chance to enjoy live music, explore Asian cultural traditions, and connect with nature and community in an immersive and welcoming environment.

Pan-Asian Music: 

Chethan Anant – Bansuri & Vocals (South Asia)

Tzu Tsen Wu – Plucked Instruments (East Asia)

Bob Garrett – Percussion & Multi-Instrumentalist (Central Asia/Contemporary)

Tatsu Aoki – Shamisen & Taiko (Japanese)

Interactive Dance Workshop:

Pak Ngurah Ensemble: Balinese Dance (Southeast Asia)

Artist Lineup & Bios:
Chethan Anant: Chicago-based Indian classical musician, multi-instrumentalist, and educator blending Hindustani classical music with jazz, Carnatic, blues, and electronic collaborations. Founder of The Bansurist LLC.

 Tzu Tsen Wu: Taiwanese musician specializing in zhongruan and liuqin, also playing ukulele, guitar, piano, banjo, and jakhee. Performs internationally and teaches while pursuing a master’s in World Music at Northern Illinois University.

Bob Garrett: Chicago-based musician and composer with extensive experience in theater, dance, and international music collaborations. Performed in Hamilton (Chicago), Sting’s The Last Ship, and The Lion King national tour. Co-founder of Posterchild Art.

 Tatsu Aoki: Chicago-based composer, filmmaker, educator, and performer. Founder of the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival and Executive Director of Asian Improv aRts Midwest, advancing cross-cultural collaboration and Japanese traditional arts.

 Pak Ngurah Ensemble: Gusti Ngurah Kertayda, Lead, is a graduate of the National Performing Arts Institute (KOKAR) in Denpasar, Indonesia. He is now the director of Indonesian Dance of Illinois, a non-profit organization in the greater Chicago area promoting Indonesian culture through dance and music.