Boston, Sept. 5, 2026, — As the gentle breezes of September sweep across New England, the Greater Boston area welcomes its most spectacular annual cross-cultural event. The 16th Asian American Festival—hosted by the Asian American Association of Boston and title-sponsored by Blue Ocean Realty—kicks off today at the historic Boston Common. The organizing committee cordially invites residents and visitors of all backgrounds to the park to savor a variety of Asian delicacies and enjoy free performances by renowned artists and groups.
This year’s festival continues to uphold the mission championed by Association Chairman Yunlong Zhen: “Uniting the Asian American community and enriching our shared home,” while striving to build bridges for cultural exchange and harmonious coexistence among diverse ethnic groups. Among the highly anticipated performances, the acclaimed Boston “Voice of the Orient” Chorus—led by Artistic Director and Conductor Ms. Ling Guo—will perform Beethoven’s timeless masterpiece, “Ode to Joy,” on the park’s open-air main stage. This performance promises to be a musical milestone, stirring hearts and embodying the spirit of a shared human destiny.
Picture from the 15th Asian American Day festival in Sept. 2025.
The festival has garnered enthusiastic responses and strong support from all sectors of the community, featuring nearly a hundred booths representing food vendors, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Readers wishing to experience this cultural feast are encouraged to visit Boston Common—located just a short distance from Chinatown—today to enjoy dozens of spectacular performances on the main stage between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM, all free of charge.
A Triumphant Return for the “Voice of the Orient” Chorus
One of the festival’s most anticipated highlights is undoubtedly the major appearance of the Boston “Voice of the Orient” Chorus. Led by directors Qiang Zhang and Haoyuan Liu, along with conductor Ling Guo, this star chorus from the Greater Boston area has shone brightly on the international stage in recent years. Not long ago, they traveled to Normandy, France, embarking on a cultural exchange journey of profound historical significance and artistic value.
During their musical tour of Normandy, the “Voice of the Orient” Choir captivated enthusiastic local audiences with their exquisite multilingual performances and distinctive Eastern flair. At the solemn Church of Notre-Dame de la Mer, they sang the gentle Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower” (Mo Li Hua), inspiring the French audience to join in and sing along softly in Chinese. At the Church of Notre-Dame at Cap de Granville, pianist Xu Ximeng shared humorous anecdotes from rehearsals that drew laughter from the crowd, while their authentic rendition of the classic French song “La Vie en Rose” earned high praise and enthusiastic thumbs-up gestures from the French listeners.
A Flourishing Showcase of Multi-ethnic Culture and Art
Another brilliant highlight of this year’s Asian-American Festival is its unparalleled ethnic inclusivity and artistic diversity. On the Boston Common stage today, audiences can enjoy not only wonderful choral performances—featuring both Western and traditional Chinese music—by groups like the “Voice of the Orient” Choir, but also traditional dances, martial arts demonstrations, modern pop music (K-Pop/J-Pop), and cross-genre musical fusions presented by artists and youth groups from various ethnic communities in the Greater Boston area (including Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Thai, and Filipino communities).
This magnificent gathering, where diverse ethnic cultures flourish and perform together on the same stage, perfectly embodies the spirit of “people-to-people diplomacy”—conveying friendship through song and breaking down barriers through music—that the “Voice of the Orient” Choir practiced during their Normandy tour. At Boston Common—a historic landmark symbolizing democracy, freedom, and multiculturalism—artists of different backgrounds and languages use their unique physical expressions and melodies to tell stories of immigrant struggles and aspirations for a better life.
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