Canadian independent artist Ember Swift has been an Ark favorite with her socially committed music, which has drawn on styles from all over the world. An East Asian Studies graduate of the University of Toronto and a fluent Mandarin speaker, she has spent increasing amounts of time in China, performing and studying. Her last album, "Lentic," used electronic elements to fuse Chinese and Western music. Now, in 2011, Ember is back in Michigan to launch a new project–"my 11th in '11!" she says) with an acoustic duo performance. "The show includes a lot of stories and language discussion as well as lots of music, of course. This project is even more of a 'cultural bridge' between my home in the West (Canada–but North America) and my adopted home in the east of Beijing, China," Ember told The Ark. The concert will include songs in English, French, and Mandarin.