North America – Texas & West Coast Tour
March 28-April 10, 2011

• Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall (Texas Performing Arts)
  
• Dallas, TX – Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center (Dallas Symphony)
  
• San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theater (ARTS San Antonio)
  
• Houston, TX – Wortham Theater Center (SPA Houston)
  
• Los Angeles, CA – Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA Philharmonic)
  
• Berkeley, CA – Zellerbach Hall (Cal Performances)
  
• San Francisco, CA – Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco Performances)
  
• Davis, CA – Jackson Hall (Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts)
  
• Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre (Vancouver Recital Society)
  

The Ensemble debuted a Silk Road Project commission from Gabriela Lena Frank: "Chayraq: Rough Guide to a Modern Day Tawantinsuyu," which the Vancouver Sun called "well made and often witty." Featuring the Chinese pipa, Western strings, and percussion, the piece is influenced by the music of indigenous festivals in Latin America. The Ensemble also premiered "Norma's Secret," a sinuous, sensual piece by Lebanese composer Rabih Abou-Khalil, and played Osvaldo Golijov's rollicking "Air to Air" from the Grammy-nominated CD Off the Map.

Performing members of the Ensemble brought music of their own as well, from Kayhan Kalhor's moving "Silent City" and "Gallop of a Thousand Horses" to a new take on traditional Galician dance tunes by Cristina Pato. "Night Thoughts" for solo pipa resulted from Wu Man's investigation of notation discovered in the ancient Dun Huang Caves, while Mark Suter's piece "Weavings" explored the possibilities for caxixi, Brazilian shakers. And Joseph Gramley's "Rionji" brought together two far-flung points on the globe: the city of Rio de Janeiro and the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, Japan.

This review of the final concert in Vancouver summed up the critics' response:

While on tour, the Ensemble made time for a workshop with San Antonio Orchestra students at Sul Ross Middle School. A few Ensemble members also accompanied Yo-Yo Ma to Inner-City Arts in Los Angeles to work with dancer Lil Buck and fourth-grade students from Charles Kim Elementary School in Koreatown.