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Music & Artists

Ensemble member Yang Wei playing the pipa for schoolchildren at Museum Rietberg in Zurich, Switzerland.

© RAINER WOLFSBERGER

Engaging New Audiences
Silk Road Ensemble member Yang Wei plays the pipa for schoolchildren at Museum Rietberg in Zurich, Switzerland. Residencies in museums and universities allow Ensemble members to take inspiration from works of visual art, collaborate on new projects, and share musical traditions with audiences in informal settings.


The Silk Road Ensemble's Repertoire

Silk Road Ensemble performances draw from a wide-ranging repertoire. The Silk Road Project has been involved in the commissioning of many new works specifically for the Silk Road Ensemble. More than 60 commissioned works have been developed.


 countrySorted By country In Ascending Ordertitlecomposer
ArgentinaAir to AirOsvaldo Golijov
ArgentinaNight of the Flying HorsesOsvaldo Golijov
ArgentinaRose of the WindsOsvaldo Golijov
ArmeniaArmenian Folk Songs: It’s SpringKomitas, arr. Serge Aslamazyan
ArmeniaArmenian Folk Songs: Vagharshabadi DanceKomitas, arr. Serge Aslamazyan
ArmeniaArmenian Folk Songs: Walk-Walk (Walk with Me)Komitas, arr. Serge Aslamazyan
ArmeniaAkhalqalaqi DanceTraditional, arr. Gevorg Dabaghyan
ArmeniaThe Morning Scent of the Acacia’s SongVache Sharafyan
ArmeniaThe Sun, the Wine and the Wind of TimeVache Sharafyan
AzerbaijanDervishFranghiz Ali-Zadeh
AzerbaijanHabil-Sayagy (In Habil's Style)Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
AzerbaijanMugam-SajahyFranghiz Ali-Zadeh
AzerbaijanCaravanJavanshir Guliev
AzerbaijanKor ArabTraditional, arr. Fikret Amirov
AzerbaijanShikasta (Minstrel’s Song)Uzeyir Hajibeyov, arr. Fikret Amirov
ChinaThe Song and Dance of TearsBright Sheng
ChinaNingChen Yi
ChinaSound of the FiveChen Yi
ChinaJin-DiaoHai-Deng Yan
ChinaTactile TimeHan Yong
ChinaQuartet for Oboe and String trio, Part IIIsang Yun
ChinaThe Prospect of Colored DesertJia Daqun
ChinaNirvana IILiu Yuan
ChinaGhost OperaTan Dun
ChinaThe MapTan Dun
ChinaAmbush from Ten SidesTraditional, arr. Wu Tong & Li Cang Sang
ChinaAmbush from Ten Sides for Pipa, Sheng Guitar, Cello and OrchestraTraditional, arr. Li Cang Sang
ChinaBlue Little FlowerTraditional, arr. Wu Tong & Li Cang Sang
ChinaGalloping HorsesTraditional, arr. Hai-Hai Huang
ChinaWine MadnessTraditional, arr. Wu Tong & Liu Lin
ChinaRed.Blue.Green SuiteTraditional/, arr. Wu Man & Ljova
ChinaMido MountainTraditional, arr. Wu Tong
ChinaJourneyWu Man
China9 RiversWu Tong
ChinaFusionXiaoyong Chen
ChinaYi XinZhang
ChinaEchoes of a Lost CityZhao Jiping
ChinaMoon Over Guan MountainsZhao Jiping
ChinaSacred Cloud MusicZhao Jiping
ChinaSummer in the High GrasslandZhao Jiping
ChinaDistant Green ValleyZhao Jiping & Zhao Lin
ChinaThe Battle RememberedZhao Lin
ChinaPoems from TangZhou Long
ChinaSilk Road ReverieZhu Jian-er
China/KazakhstanYanzi (Swallow Song)Traditional, arr. Zhao Lin
EthiopiaMusiqawi SiltGirma Beyene, arr. Colin Jacobsen
FranceSonata for Cello and Piano, L. 135Claude Debussy
FrancePiano Trio in A MinorMaurice Ravel
GypsyTurceascaPerapaskero, arr. Osvaldo Golijov & Ljova
GypsyMusic of the Roma: BriuTraditional, arr. Ljova
GypsyMusic of the Roma: Doina Oltului (Song of the River Olt)Traditional, arr. Ljova
GypsyMusic of the Roma: Hora MartisoruluiTraditional, arr. Ljova
GypsyMusic of the Roma: Kali -Sara (Black Sara)Traditional, arr. Ljova
GypsyMusic of the Roma: RustemTraditional, arr. Ljova
GypsyMusic of the Roma: Sirba in E-flatTraditional, arr. Ljova
Hong KongEmpty Mountain, Spirit RainAngel Lam
HungarySonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8Zoltan Kodaly
IndiaShristiSandeep Das
IndiaSumohini (Reflection of Grace)Sandeep Das
IndiaTarang (Currents)Sandeep Das
IndiaMohiniSandeep Das & Indrajit Dey, arr. Ljova
IndiaKolamZakir Hussain & Ethan Iverson, arr. George Brooks
IndiaMohiniSandeep Das
IranNey-NavaHussein Alizadeh
IranBlue as the Turquoise Night of NeyshaburKayhan Kalhor, arr. Kalhor & Stephen Prutsman
IranGallop of a Thousand HorsesKayhan Kalhor
IranMountains are Far AwayKayhan Kalhor, arr. Ljova
IranThe Golden MaskKayhan Kalhor
IranThe Silent CityKayhan Kalhor, arr. Kalhor & Ljova
IranAscending BirdTraditional, arr. Siamak Aghaei & Colin Jacobsen
IranWhere the Wind Will Take UsSiamak Aghaei, arr. Colin Jacobsen
ItalyChi Passa Per’sta StradaFilippo Azzaiolo
ItalyThe Taranta ProjectGiovanni Sollima
Japan108Ko Umezaki
JapanExtraditionalKo Umezaki
JapanFive Finnish Folk SongsMichio Mamiya
JapanKioMichio Mamiya
JapanOrionToru Takemitsu
KazakhstanTwo Pieces for Cello and PianoBakhtiyar Amanjol
KazakhstanAltynaiTraditional, arr. Nate Shaw
KoreaOnce We Were...Dong-Won Kim
KoreaAncient BellJeeyoung Kim
KoreaTrystJeeyoung Kim
KoreaHae-Maji Gut: A Shaman Performance to the New MoonJoon-Il Kang
KoreaWhen the Wind CirclesKim/Umezaki
LebanonArabian WaltzRabih Abou-Khalil
LebanonThe BenevolentRabih Abou-Khalil
MongoliaKhara KhorumSangidorj Sansargereltech
MongoliaLegend of HerlenByambasuren Sharav
RussiaPiano Trio No. 2 in E minor, op. 67Dmitri Shostakovich
SpanishLevanta, Pascual, LevanteTraditional
Switzerland / United StatesWeavingsMark Suter
TajikistanCircles of TimeAlisher Latif-Zadeh
TajikistanTojAlisher Latif-Zadeh
TajikistanSilk Road Dreams DancingTolib-hon Shahidi
TajikistanThe Sufi and the Buddhist MonkTolib-hon Shahidi
TurkeyMahur Orientale (Night at the Caravanserai)Abd-El Wahab, arr. Shane Shanahan
TurkeyPartita, op.31Adnan Saygun
TurkeyOn the Back Streets of Old IstanbulHasan Uçarsu
United StatesMusic for a Royal PalaceChristopher Adler
United StatesSulvasutraEvan Ziporyn
United StatesRitmos AnchinosGabriela Lena Frank
United StatesConcerto for Pipa with String OrchestraLou Harrison
United StatesSaidi SwingShane Shanahan
United StatesNagoya MarimbasSteve Reich
UzbekistanNight Music: Voice in the LeavesDmitri Yanov-Yanovsky
UzbekistanPaths of ParablesDmitri Yanov-Yanovsky
UzbekistanBukhara ConcertoMustafa Bafoyev
"We live in a world of increasing awareness and interdependence, and I believe that music can act as a magnet to draw people together."
– YO-YO MA