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| | | Members of the Silk Road Ensemble | © MAX WHITTAKER
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globalFEST 2012 On January 8, 2012, the Silk Road Ensemble will ring in the new year with a performance at globalFEST, a premier showcase for international music held annually in New York City. Our 9 p.m. performance will feature 14 musicians from six countries—and music from the crossroads of the world. We are pleased that the Ensemble has this opportunity to perform for presenters, and we look forward to expanding our Silk Road Ensemble touring. See our press release for details. This event features 12 different groups from around the world as part of the Association for Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) conference, but all are welcome to attend. Ticketing information can be found at globalFEST. A discount for early ticket purchases will be given through November 24.
New commissions
As we near the winter holidays, we are looking ahead to the new music that the Ensemble will develop in January 2012. We have commissioned four new pieces (in addition to the two workshopped during our September residency at Harvard) for the Silk Road Ensemble's unique group of performers and instruments. We are excited to announce commissions from some remarkable musicians. Glenn Kotche, perhaps best known as the drummer for Wilco, is fantastic with rhythm and also a gifted melodist. Jazz pianist Vijay Iyer has worked with jazz, classical, hip-hop, world, spoken word, and electronic artists. David Bruce, who gave us an interview in April about his piece, draws inspiration from an infinite array of cultural sources. And our own shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki has extensive background in electronic music, and, of course, great comfort with all facets of the Ensemble's wide-ranging approaches to music. The workshop will be held at our home base, Harvard University, and we are delighted to offer a rare opportunity for students from a wide array of disciplines to join us behind the scenes as we develop this new music. A special Wintersession arts-intensive course invites Harvard students—graduate and undergraduate alike—to observe and interact with Silk Road Ensemble members and to develop projects based on their own angles of engagement: musical or educational, academic-minded or business-oriented. See our calendar for details.
Asia concert tour
In March, the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma will hit the road, touring to seven cities in Asia: Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi'an, and Beijing, China; and Seoul, South Korea. This will be our first time returning as a group to perform in Asia since the spring of 2010, and we look forward to connecting with audiences at these concerts. |