NARA NATIONAL MUSEUM

Eleven musicians and an artist spent five days at the Nara National Museum, performing in galleries, interacting with museum visitors, and making connections between music and art. For example, inspired by an important Central Asian lute on exhibit at the Museum, artist Kevork Mourad led visitors of all ages in daily lute drawing workshops. Soloists played in front of a traditional tea house on Museum grounds. Drum circles and other family programs attracted crowds. Never before had the sound of musical instruments filled the galleries and public spaces of the Museum. The director commented that the Silk Road Ensemble residency was "the most exciting thing to happen here in the Museum¹s one hundred year history!"

TODAI-JI CONCERT

On October 12, the Ensemble, facing the 15-meter-tall bronze Buddha in the temple of Todai-ji, the world's largest wooden structure, performed to a hushed and highly appreciative audience.

KUMAMOTO CONCERT

A highlight of the October Japan Tour was a side trip to Kumamoto (Ko Umezaki's hometown) on the island of Kyushu, where the Ensemble performed to a sold-out crowd that was seated elbow to elbow on tatami mats surrounding the ornate altar of the Edo-period temple Honmyouji.

KYUSHU NATIONAL MUSEUM'S GRAND OPENING

The Ensemble was invited to perform at the grand opening of Japan's fourth national museum and the first to open since the Nara National Museum opened 100 years ago - the stunningly designed Kyushu National Museum. With a collection honoring Japan's cultural exchange with the rest of Asia, the Museum welcomed the Ensemble on stage and throughout the galleries, where visitors were often seen following Ensemble members in amazement as the musicians performed wandering improvisations.