Around the World: Silk Road Ensemble 2007 Journeys The Silk Road Project brings musical traditions of more than eight nations to three continents over the next year
An ambitious Silk Road Project 2007 itinerary includes the grand finale of Silk Road Chicago, a museum residency in Switzerland and a cultural exchange in China. “We established the Silk Road Project to study the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the ancient Silk Road,” said artistic director Yo-Yo Ma. “Through our concerts, residencies and commissions, we retrace old paths of exchange and explore some of today’s most exciting musical crossroads. This year, our journey takes us on a round-the-world adventure, traveling thousands of miles from the United States to Europe to Asia.” On the heels of a successful winter residency at Rhode Island School of Design and a West Coast tour in March, Ma and the Ensemble headed to Illinois for the culmination of Silk Road Chicago, the unprecedented yearlong partnership with the city of Chicago and its major arts and cultural organizations. For the interactive finale of June 5 in Millennium Park, Silk Road Ensemble percussionists worked with Chicago Symphony Orchestra teaching artists who trained and led nearly 600 Chicago elementary schoolchildren who helped Ma, the percussionists and members of the CSO tell the tale of The Stone Horse: A Silk Road Journey. August brings Ma and the Ensemble to Europe. First stop: the Académie Musicale de Villecroze, France, where the musicians will conduct workshops aimed at developing new repertoire inspired by the music and culture of the Silk Road region. Then they head to Switzerland for performances at the renowned Lucerne Festival. Established in 1938 with a gala concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini, the festival attracts leading performers from around the world and draws 100,000 visitors each year. Ma and the Ensemble will perform on August 23 and 25. Afterward, the group takes up residency at Museum Rietberg in Zurich, Switzerland. From August 28 through September 2, the Ensemble will engage in new artistic collaborations highlighting the museum's collections from Asia, Africa, Oceania and ancient America. The residency will seek to animate the museum’s highly regarded collection through performances, gallery programs, interactive multimedia experiences and storytelling. The 2007 travels proceed to China, were Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will perform a series of concerts, workshops and cultural exchanges from October 2 through 12 before returning to the United States for an annual fall residency at Harvard University. |
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