Asia North 2025 Closing Event

Celebrate the conclusion of Asia North 2025. Congratulate the artists featured in EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS. Enjoy performances by Chinese guqin player Ilsa Yin, inspiring music from The Fictionals, party with Indie-Pop-Funk band SilverSity, and close out the evening with uplifitng music by Hon Jao Violin.

Fictionals
The DMV’s very own Jess Trúc My is a musician, political educator, and activist who became a founding member and Creative Director of Viet Place Collective (VPC) with a revolutionary vision— tend to the intergenerational wounds of a post-war community with creativity at the forefront.
Creating under the alias “Fictionals”, they embark on their debut musical project (EP) that serves a powerful duality: (1) uplift the stories and dreams of a double-displaced diaspora and (2) stitch together the loose threads of oppressed peoples around the world with our shared experience in unlearning the dominant narratives of history, traditionally dominated by empire.
How does the story of grief and seeming contradiction of abundance in cultural love delicately weave itself into the identity of our people? This is a question our EP, “Ancestor”, will engage, safeguarding a culture contending for survival and serving as a commentary on the connection between the social, personal, and political.

Hon Jao Violin is a second-generation Taiwanese American violinist and DJ based in Maryland and D.C., blending classical and electronic music with deep cultural and meditative influences. His work reflects a journey of exploring identity through sound, healing generational trauma across the diaspora, and redefining concepts like stillness and slowness—luxuries his immigrant parents and grandparents fleeing civil war couldn’t afford in their pursuit of stability.With a lifelong foundation in violin and piano, Hon Jao weaves improvised violin melodies with organic rhythms, creating immersive live looping and DJ sets that transport audiences into meditative, transcendent spaces. His performances—whether on the dance floor or in wellness communities—bridge ancestral heritage with contemporary sound healing, offering an experience that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
His discography includes collaborations with Enamour ("Dragonfly," Kindisch 2021), Neekola ("A Message," 2022), and Ursidae ("It Comes in Waves," BearHeart EP 2024). Beyond clubs and festivals, Hon Jao is an integral part of the yoga, dance, and meditation community, performing at sound healing events and transformational gatherings. Through music, he seeks to create space for reflection, connection, and healing across generations.

SilverSity is a multicultural music trio whose masterful blend of diverse backgrounds creates a unique pop music experience. Composed of Tyler Phimphahn (main rapper), a first-generation Thai and Lao American; Ahn Caintic (lead vocalist), a Filipino immigrant; and David Davon (lead guitarist), a multi-generational African American Baltimorean, SilverSity's songs incorporate different languages and influences, celebrating unity in diversity.
With electrifying performances and music that transcends borders, SilverSity delivers an unforgettable musical journey that bridges cultures and captivates audiences.

Dr. Ilsa Xiaoshan Yin holds a Ph.D. degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland and teaches as adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland and the University of Baltimore. Her research and musical practice focus on the Chinese seven-string zither guqin. Yin has performed the guqin in China, U.K., Denmark, and U.S. in venues ranging from the British Parliament to Howard Community College. She has presented the instrument and her research at public sectors including the Smithsonian Center for Folklike and international academic associations including the Society for Ethnomusicology and the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance. Her research has been published in Asian Music.

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Asia North 2025 partners and sponsors include TU Asian Arts & Culture Center, Central Baltimore Partnership, Station North Arts District, Motor House, Currency Studio, Club Car, Mobtown Ballroom, Maryland State Arts Council, William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, Citizens of Baltimore County, Orange Barrel Media/IKE Smart City, Johns Hopkins University, Korean Cultural Center Washington DC, Asia North 2025 partners and sponsors include TU Asian Arts & Culture Center, Central Baltimore Partnership, Station North Arts District, Motor House, Currency Studio, Club Car, Mobtown Ballroom, Maryland State Arts Council, William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, Citizens of Baltimore County, Orange Barrel Media/IKE Smart City, Johns Hopkins University, Korean Cultural Center Washington DC, TU-BTU Presidential Priority, Community Housing Partners, Barkada Breads, Baltimore Changwon-Sister City Committee, Korean American Foundation – Greater Washington, Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee, Mike Shecter, Neighborhood Housing Services, Neighborhood Design Center, NAAAP Baltimore, OTS Productions, Johns Hopkins Medicine Asian & Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group & Allies, Baltimore Improv Group, Rosa Chang, and Majer Studio, TU-BTU Presidential Priority, Community Housing Partners, Barkada Breads, Baltimore Changwon-Sister City Committee, Korean American Foundation – Greater Washington, Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee, Mike Shecter, Neighborhood Housing Services, Neighborhood Design Center, NAAAP Baltimore, OTS Productions, Johns Hopkins Medicine Asian & Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group & Allies, Baltimore Improv Group, and Rosa Chang.

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Asia North 2025 Exhibition & Festival, May 2 – 31

Various locations throughout the Station North Arts District, Baltimore, MD. Celebrate Baltimore’s Charles North – Station North – neighborhood’s constantly evolving identities as a Koreatown, arts district, and creative hub. Co-produced by Asian Arts & Culture Center and Central Baltimore Partnership

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