Festivals

Partner Cities in United States, Europe and Asia Focusing on the Silk Road Theme

At the center of the Silk Road Project is a series of festivals that the Project co-produces with presenting organizations and cultural institutions in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Yo-Yo Ma and an international group of musicians known as the Silk Road Ensemble are performing compositions which the Silk Road Project has commissioned from composers in China, Mongolia, Korea, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. These newly commissioned pieces complement performances of traditional music from the lands of the Silk Road as well as masterpieces by Western composers such as Ravel, Debussy, Bartòk and Kodály who were profoundly influenced by the spirit of other cultures.

Read about the 2002 Silk Road Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC.