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 Baku, Azerbaijan, Cultural Exchange Tour - May 16-20, 2006
From May 16 through May 20, 2006, the Silk Road Ensemble was in residence in Baku, Azerbaijan, collaborating with vocalist Alim Qasimov, a Living National Treasure of Azerbaijan and long-time member of the Ensemble, and five other leading Azeri artists.
Sharing musical and cultural backgrounds with local musicians and the residents of Baku was the goal of the residency. Yo-Yo Ma, Qazimov and the Silk Road Ensemble rehearsed and performed in the newly renovated Philharmonia Hall. The musicians also conducted workshops at three local conservatories, affording additional opportunities for cultural exchange and musical inspiration.
This concert was supported in part by the American Embassy in Azerbaijan through a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, United States Department of State. The grant also supports cultural exchange workshops offered by the Silk Road Ensemble to students at participating music schools in Baku.
Musicians participating in the cultural exchange were:
Rafael Asfarov, balaban
Jeff Beecher, bass
Nick Cords, viola
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
Rauf Islamov, kamancheh
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Ali Asgar Mammadov, tar
Alim Qasimov, vocalist
Fargana Qasimova, vocalist
Shane Shanahan, percussion
Natig Shirinov , nagara
Mark Suter, percussion
Ko Umezaki, shakuhachi
Wu Man, pipa
See photos of the Azerbaijan tour.
The Dan David Prize, Tel Aviv University, May 21-23, 2006
 Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project received the Dan David Prize, an award presented annually to people whose achievements have had an outstanding scientific, technological, cultural or social impact. The award ceremony was held at Tel Aviv University on May 21, and was followed on May 22 by "The Silk Road, Then and Now: History, Culture and Music," a symposium featuring lectures and roundtable discussions presented by prominent scholars and policymakers. The Tel Aviv visit culminated on May 23 with a highly anticipated concert that filled the 1150-seat Smolarz Auditorium at Tel Aviv University.
Members of the Silk Road Ensemble performed examples of music from Silk Road cultures. The participants were:
Jeff Beecher, bass
Nick Cords, viola
Sandeep Das, tabla
Johnny Gandelsman, violin
Joe Gramley, percussion
Rauf Islamov, kamancheh
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Ali Asgar Mammadov, tar
Alim Qasimov, vocalist
Shane Shanahan, percussion
Mark Suter, percussion
Ko Umezaki, shakuhachi
Wu Man, pipa
Guest artists:
Barak Marshall, vocalist
Margalit Oved, composer, vocalist, and dancer
See photos of the Israel tour.
May 17: Baku Music Academy
click images to enlarge
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The Silk Road Ensemble's May 17 cultural-exchange workshop in Baku attracted a standing-room-only audience at the Baku National Academy. |
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Two young Azeri music students watch intently as the Silk Road Ensemble introduces them to new musical concepts. |
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Fargana Qasimova, trained in the Azeri traditional art of mugam by her renowned father, Alim Qasimov, rehearses with the Silk Road Ensemble before participating in a workshop at the Baku Music Academy. |
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Ko and Johnny decipher a section of new music during a rehearsal in Baku. |
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The Azeri musicians participating in the 2006 exchange and concert include old and new friends. Left to right: Fargana Qasimova, vocalist; Alim Qasimov, vocalist (and Fargana's teacher and father); Ali Asgar Mammadov, tar; Rauf Islamov, kamancheh; Natig Shirinov, nagara; Rafael Asfarov, balaban. |
May 18: Bul Bul School of Music and National Music Academy
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Shane Shanahan, playing an Arabic tambourine called a ric, Mark Suter, with shakers and cajón (a Peruvian box drum), and Natig Shirinov on nagara brought down the house with their on-stage improvisation during a workshop held at the Bul Bul School of Music. The trio lacked a common spoken language, but their rhythms spoke perfectly to one another and united them in friendship.
"I have played with many different world-famous percussionists, including jam sessions with Brazilian, Indian, and other concert performers," Natig said afterward. "The highest level I have ever experienced was with Mark and Shane today. Few people feel rhythm spiritually like this. It's like magic. "
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Silk Road Ensemble member Ko Umezaki and Azeri balaban player Rafael Asfarov met for the first time on May 17. The next morning, they performed together publicly at a workshop - an experience Rafael described as "one hundred percent new and different." "This wasn't just music - it was something extraordinary," Rafael said. "I was amazed that Ko could understand what I was saying with the balaban." |
May 19: Concert at the Philharmonia
The elegant dome of the packed Philharmonia Hall echoed with music from along the Silk Road including, of course, Azerbaijan. After the dramatic Mugam-Sayagy for String Quartet, the audience inundated Baku-born composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh with applause and flowers. Later, a half-hour mugam performance by vocalists Alim Qasimov and his daughter Fargana mesmerized the crowd. Rafael Asfarov, Rauf Islamov, Ali Asgar Mammadov and Natig Shirinov accompanied the Qasimovs on balaban, kamancheh and tar. |
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Built in 1910-1912, the Philharmonia Hall is known for its wonderful acoustics. |
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The Hall, which is largely made of wood, was renovated and strengthened in 1996. |
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Yo-Yo Ma and Azeri composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh on their way to rehearse Mugam-Sayagy for String Quartet in Baku. |
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After the concert, Wu Man posed with three generations of the Qasimov family.
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May 21-23: Israel
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In a spontaneous musical exchange, Ali Asgar Mammadov, left, traded his Azeri tar for Wu Man's Chinese pipa. |
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The Ensemble was based in Tel Aviv, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. |
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During a rare free afternoon, members of the Ensemble toured Jerusalem, visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other sites within the walled Old City. |
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This section of the Western Wall is designated for men and boys to pray. |
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Jeff and Joe resist temptation at a few of the many colorful souvenir shops in the Old City. |
Reflections on the Tour
For Ensemble violist Nick Cords, one of the best things about the Silk Road Project is meeting other musicians who - like Silk Road Ensemble members - are a "musical fraternity." In Nick's view, "playing at an individual level only goes so far. The next level is finding those people that you click with. Then you've found both a safety zone and a place where you can push yourself." Nick added, "The specifics of a tradition are learnable. What really connects is the passion - sharing similar feelings about the music."
Shane Shanahan concurred. "Every new encounter is like that. It's expanding our community."
Ali Asgar Mammadov, new to the Ensemble, commented on the way the group "doesn't just play music, but puts their souls into it." He was especially surprised by the pipa, which he heard live for the first time, and by Wu Man. "The instrument is as beautiful as the player."
Rauf Islamov, who participated in a 2005 residency at the Rhode Island School of Design as well as a tour with vocalist Alim Qasimov and the Ensemble, feels that music bridges language barriers among Ensemble performers. "We understand each other through our music," he said. "I feel we've known each other all our lives."
Press
The presence of the Silk Road Ensemble in Azerbaijan generated a lot of media interest. The president of Azerbaijan invited Yo-Yo Ma to meet with him to discuss the cultural exchange. Every newspaper and television station in the area covered the events of the tour, and several Ensemble members were interviewed and appeared on television.
Read the press coverage provided by the Jerusalem Post and Canadian Broadcast Company Arts. PLEASE NOTE: The Silk Road Project was founded in 1998. Each article incorrectly lists the year of the Project's founding.
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