January 23, 2007
Residencies with the Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard University
Continue in the Silk Road Project’s Year Ahead
January 22, 2007, Providence, R.I. — The Silk Road Project, connecting artists and audiences around the world under the artistic direction of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, will launch a global journey in 2007 with Silk Road Ensemble concerts, residencies, workshops and museum events taking place in Santa Barbara, Berkeley, Seattle, Chicago, Providence, Cambridge, Lucerne, Zurich and China.
The musicians of the Silk Road Ensemble—an eclectic, loosely knit band of virtuosos, rooted in the traditions of more than eight nations—will perform more than 25 concerts with programs of new compositions and traditional music, as well as 4 multimedia performances. The Silk Road Project’s year ahead also features collaborations with two museums, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, as well as residencies with Harvard and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) that include the development of new, interdisciplinary curricular approaches with students and faculty. The continuation of an unprecedented yearlong Silk Road celebration in the City of Chicago will include a wide range of events, including concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in April, and a major concert for schoolchildren at Millennium Park in June.
Ford Motor Company is continuing as a Global Corporate Partner to the Silk Road Project as part of its long-standing tradition of arts education support.
“We established the Silk Road Project to study the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the ancient Silk Road,” Yo-Yo Ma stated. “Through our concerts, residencies and commissions, we re-trace 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.”
The Silk Road Project will also continue to commission new works of music and to cultivate musicians by providing a forum for cultural exchange. During the month of August, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will be in residence at the Académie Musicale de Villecroze, France, conducting a series of workshops aimed at developing new repertoire inspired by the music and culture of the Silk Road region.
“Given the contemporary global environment, the ideas that inspire the Silk Road Project are even more compelling today than they were at our inception in 1998,” commented Laura Freid, CEO and Executive Director. “Long ago, the people of three continents were connected by the 4,000-mile network of trading routes that were the Silk Road. Today, we connect people from different traditions through our comprehensive programming, nurturing creativity and encouraging mutual understanding across borders and cultures.”
“In its sixth year as a Global Corporate Sponsor to the Silk Road Project, Ford Motor Company is very pleased to bring the Project to new audiences and to help create new and meaningful cultural encounters,” said Jim Vella, president of Ford Motor Company Fund. “As a global company, Ford is dedicated to promoting opportunities for cultural exchange that further our ability to understand one another and help us contribute to our many communities around the world.”
Residencies at Harvard University and Rhode Island School of Design
The Silk Road Project is affiliated with Harvard University and the Rhode Island School of Design, which will host their annual residencies with the Silk Road Ensemble in 2007. Both the RISD residency in January and the Harvard residency and concert in November will be devoted to cross-cultural and interdisciplinary artistic expression through workshops centered on music, storytelling, art and other cultural traditions.
During the 2007 Winter session at RISD, musicians from the Silk Road Ensemble will work with students and faculty on two new multimedia pieces: Indigo, which traces the evolution and cultural migration of the dye, and Blue and White, which explores the development of the ceramics characteristic of regions along the Silk Road. The RISD residency will culminate on February 1 with a screening of Lotte Reiniger’s classic animated silhouette film The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926), with a new score composed and performed live by the Silk Road Ensemble. In a recent residency, the Silk Road Project worked with RISD students and faculty in the multidisciplinary design of traveling exhibits based on Silk Road themes.
The Silk Road Project’s Harvard residency programs are designed to encourage multi-cultural artistic and intellectual collaborations, and to expand the scope of audience participation beyond a concert-tour format. Silk Road Ensemble artists give public performances and participate in university courses, workshops, and master classes, focusing on the connections between the arts and other disciplines. In recent residencies, the Silk Road Ensemble created and performed a commissioned piece as part of Harvard’s “First Nights” course and introduced music by Chinese composer Zhou Long to the student orchestra, the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra.
Silk Road Journey in Chicago Continues in 2007
Through an extraordinary partnership with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Chicago Office of Tourism, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and The Art Institute of Chicago, the Silk Road Project will continue Silk Road Chicago, a year-long, city-wide celebration inspired by the art and culture of the historic Silk Road.
“With its vibrant and diverse communities, its world-class cultural institutions and its enduring legacy through events like the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, Chicago is a natural choice to host our yearlong Silk Road celebration,” explained Yo-Yo Ma. “Given the tremendous pride that Chicagoans have for their city, there could be no better place to explore the artistic traditions and cross-cultural connections that are the essence of the Silk Road Project.”
Chicago is the first city in the world to collaborate in such a partnership with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project. From January to June of 2007, residents and visitors to Chicago will continue to explore and celebrate the artistic legacy of the Silk Road through a series of performances, readings, exhibitions and events. Upcoming highlights include a ten-day residency with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at Symphony Center, featuring collaborative concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and family and educational performances; concerts at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago and residencies at the University of Chicago with a composers’ forum and multimedia workshops; and a Silk Road Ensemble collaboration with the exhibition The Silk Road and Beyond: Travel, Trade and Transformation, on view at the Art Institute of Chicago through October 2007. Detailed event information for Silk Road Chicago can be found at www.silkroadchicago.org.
Museum Residencies
Museum residencies are an important part of the Silk Road Project, as they bring great works of art together with traditions of oral literature and music to increase awareness of both the diverse peoples and the interactions of rich cultural traditions in the lands along the historic Silk Road. In past years, the Silk Road Project has worked with the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts; the Nara National Museum in Nara, Japan; and the Rubin Museum of Art in New York. A collaboration with the Art Institute of Chicago (part of Silk Road Chicago)continues in 2007. From August 26 to September 2, the Silk Road Project will host a fall residency at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, internationally renowned for its collection of art from Asia, Africa, Oceania and Ancient America. Working with a talented team of curators, storytellers and educators at the Museum, the Silk Road Ensemble will develop new artistic collaborations highlighting each of the museum’s collections. The residency will culminate with a Silk Road-themed public festival on the grounds of the museum.
About the Silk Road Ensemble
The Silk Road Ensemble is a collective of musicians interested in exploring the relationship between tradition and innovation in music from the East and West. Each musician's career illustrates a unique response to one of the great challenges of our times: how to nourish global connections while maintaining the integrity of local traditions.
Most of the Ensemble musicians first came together at a Silk Road Project workshop at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts in 2000, under the artistic direction of Yo-Yo Ma. Since then, various combinations of these artists, whose diverse careers encompass and often intermingle Western and non-Western classical, folk and popular music, have performed a variety of programs in Europe, Asia and North America. Formed to bring new ideas, talent and energy into the world of music as well as to nurture musical and artistic creativity, The Silk Road Ensemble, made up of musicians from around the world, has traveled the globe with as many as 50 members, bringing Eastern and Western music together with inspiring results.
About the Silk Road Project
The Silk Road Project is a not-for-profit arts organization founded in 1998 by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who serves as artistic director, and led by Laura Freid, executive director and CEO. Inspired by the cultural traditions of the historic Silk Road, the Project brings artists and audiences around the world together and acts as a catalyst to promote innovation and learning through the arts.
At the center of the Silk Road Project are its concerts, university and museum residencies and workshops in North America, Europe, Central Asia, China and Japan. Commissioning new works is also a central mission. To date, the Project has commissioned 25 new works from artists representing nine countries.
Ford Motor Company is Global Corporate Partner to the Silk Road Project as part of its longstanding tradition of arts education support. The Silk Road Project is grateful to Mikimoto for sponsorship of its International Museum Residency Program. Silk Road Project Cultural Exchange Initiative activities are assisted financially by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Silk Road Project is affiliated with Harvard University and Rhode Island School of Design, where the Ensemble collaborates with students and faculty as artists in residence.
Ford Motor Company and the Silk Road Project
Ford Motor Company is proud to continue its partnership with the Silk Road Project and Yo-Yo Ma on this extraordinary initiative. Since the launch of the Silk Road Project, Ford has been a committed partner in the Project’s efforts as a catalyst for cross-cultural fertilization and transformation. In its sixth year as a Global Corporate Sponsor, Ford is dedicated to the spirit of innovation and adventure that the Silk Road embodies, and in our increasingly global community, the Silk Road Project is a testament to the richness gained from exchange and exploration.
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services is committed to creating opportunities that promote corporate citizenship, philanthropy, volunteerism and cultural diversity for those who live in the communities where Ford does business. Established in 1949 and made possible by Ford Motor Company profits, Ford Motor Company Fund supports initiatives and institutions that foster innovative education, auto-related safety, and American heritage and legacy. National programs include Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies, which provides high school students with academically rigorous 21st century learning experiences, and Driving Skills for Life, a teen-focused auto safety initiative. The Ford Volunteer Corps, established in 2005, continues Ford's legacy of caring worldwide. Through the Volunteer Corps, salaried employees, union members, retirees and their families participate in a wide range of volunteer projects in their communities. For more information on programs made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, visit www.ford.com.
Silk Road Project 2007 Schedule
January 18-23
Silk Road Ensemble Chicago Journey
Persian music will be featured during the January events in Chicago, including concerts at the Children’s Museum of Chicago and the Northwestern University Winter Festival. The Art Institute of Chicago will feature performances in its galleries, and Silk Road Ensemble members will continue “Creating a Life With Music,” its series of interactive workshop for music students at the Music Institute of Chicago, with “Entering into Tradition: Bridging the Foreign and the Familiar.” Visit www.silkroadchicago.org for more details about January events for the public.
Thursday, January 18, 6:15 – 7:00 PM
Silk Road Ensemble Children’s Concert
Chicago Children’s Museum, Great Hall
The Silk Road Ensemble presents a special children’s concert featuring music from lands and cultures along the ancient Silk Road, a historic trading route that stretched from Japan to the Mediterranean. Free.
Sunday, January 21, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Silk Road Ensemble Gallery Performances
The Art Institute of Chicago
Silk Road Ensemble members will perform in galleries throughout the Art Institute of Chicago. As they play, musicians will respond to visual works, linking images and sound in a unique multisensory interaction. Free with admission to the Art Institute of Chicago
Sunday, January 21, 8:00 PM
Silk Road Ensemble performs at the Winter Chamber Music Festival
Northwestern University, Pick-Staiger Hall
The Silk Road Ensemble will perform as part of the final concert of this year’s annual Northwestern series, the Winter Chamber Music Festival. Featuring musicians hailing from Iranian and Japanese traditions, as well as from Western backgrounds, the Ensemble of internationally renowned musicians will present a concert of works that celebrate diverse heritages and intercultural connections. Tickets: $22/20/10. Available: 847.467.4000 or www.pickstaiger.com
Thursday, February 1, 7:00 PM
The Adventures of Prince Achmed film screening with live music by the Silk Road Ensemble
Avon Cinema, Providence, RI
This enchanting 1926 masterpiece—the first full-length animated feature film ever made—will be screened with a new score written and performed live the by Silk Road Ensemble. Inspired by the immortal tales of the Arabian Nights, The Adventures of Prince Achmed is one of the great classics of animation. Tickets $15 available at the door; free with student ID.
February 19-24
Silk Road Ensemble Chicago Journey
Music of China will be featured during the February concerts in Chicago. The Silk Road Ensemble will appear at the Art Institute of Chicago in a series of gallery performances, as well as at a concert at the University of Chicago on February 22. February performances will also feature China Magpie, a Chinese rock quartet, three of whose members are part of the Silk Road Ensemble. Led by Chinese composer, sheng virtuoso, vocalist and rock star Wu Tong, the group introduces innovative sounds that combine folk, rock and traditional. Visit www.silkroadchicago.org for more details about February events.
March 4-17
U.S. West Coast Tour
Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will be on the West Coast of the United States in March, with concerts in Santa Barbara, Berkeley and Seattle. These concerts will be preceded by a Silk Road Ensemble Residency at the University of California, Santa Barbara (March 4-7), where the Ensemble will conduct workshops and explore new curricular approaches to the arts, literature, history and music of the Silk Road Regions.
The concert programs for the West Coast Tour include Kayhan Kalhor’s Silent City, which was made possible by a grant from the Fromm Music Foundation and was first performed at Harvard University in 2005. The current arrangement was developed at the Weill Music Institute Professional Training Workshop and was first performed at Zankel Hall in September 2006. Jeeyoung Kim’s Ancient Bell, Evan Ziporyn’s Sulvasutra and Osvaldo Golijov’s Air to Air were arranged for the 2006 Weill Music Institute Professional Training Workshop, presented by The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall in partnership with the Silk Road Project and Boston Symphony Orchestra. Azeri music will be performed by renowned Azerbaijani vocalist Alim Qasimov.
March 9, 2007, at 8:00 PM
Arlington Theater, 1317 State Street, Santa Barbara
Presented by University of California Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures
The Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, Artistic Director
Concert Program
Silk Road Suite including music from Iran, Korea and the Roma People
TRADITIONAL, Azeri Traditional
AMIROV, Kor Arab
HAGIBEYOV, Kyoroglu
KALHOR, Silent City
GOLIJOV, From Air to Air
March 10, 2007, at 4:00 PM
Arlington Theater, 1317 State Street, Santa Barbara
Presented by University of California Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures
The Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, Artistic Director
Concert Program
Silk Road Suite including music from Iran, China, Mongolia and Lebanon
LAM, Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain
KIM, Ancient Bell
ZIPORYN, Sulvasutra
PERAPASKERO, Turceasca (Arr. Osvaldo Golijov, Ljova)
March 12, 2007, at 7:30 PM
Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA
Presented by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra
The Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, Artistic Director
Concert Program
Silk Road Suite including music from Iran, Korea and the Roma People
TRADITIONAL, Azeri Traditional
AMIROV, Kor Arab
HAGIBEYOV, Kyoroglu
KALHOR, Silent City
GOLIJOV, From Air to Air
March 13, 2007, at 7:30 PM
Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA
Presented by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra
The Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, Artistic Director
Concert Program
Silk Road Suite including music from Iran, China, Mongolia and Lebanon
ANGEL LAM, Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain
KIM, Ancient Bell
ZIPORYN, Sulvasutra
PERAPESKERO, Turceasca (Arr. Osvaldo Golijov, Ljova)
March 16, 2007, 8:00 PM
Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA
Presented by Cal Performances
The Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, Artistic Director
Concert Program
Silk Road Suite including music from Iran, Korea and the Roma People
TRADITIONAL, Azeri Traditional
AMIROV, Kor Arab
HAGIBEYOV, Kyoroglu
KALHOR, Silent City
GOLIJOV, From Air to Air
March 17, 2007, at 8:00 PM
Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA
Presented by Cal Performances
The Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, Artistic Director
Concert Program
Silk Road Suite including music from Iran, China, Mongolia and Lebanon
LAM, Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain
KIM, Ancient Bell
ZIPORYN, Sulvasutra
PERAPESKERO, Turceasca (Arr. Osvaldo Golijov, Ljova)
April 9-21
Silk Road Ensemble Chicago Journey
Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will spend two weeks in concerts, gallery performances and workshops in April. Highlights of the residency include performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, gallery programs, workshops and concerts at the Art Institute of Chicago in conjunction with their exhibition The Silk Road and Beyond: Travel, Trade and Transformation, and the premiere of Blue and White, music developed during the Rhode Island School of Design residencywhich explores the development of the ceramics characteristic of regions along the Silk Road. Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will host “Creating a Life With Music,” a series of interactive workshops for students from Chicago music schools following the theme of “Finding Your Musical Voice.” Visit www.silkroadchicago.org for more details about April events for the public.
April 12 and 13 at 8:00 PM and April 17 at 7:30 PM
Miguel Harth-Bedoya leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Silk Road Ensemble and Yo-Yo Ma at Symphony Center
Concert Program
SHARAV, Legend of Herlen
HARRISON, Pipa Concerto
TRADITIONAL/WU, Ambush from Ten Sides
ZHOU, Poems from Tang
BLOCH, Schelomo
GOLIJOV, Air to Air
ABOU-KHALIL, Arabian Waltz
April 15 at 3:00 PM
Symphony Center Presents Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble as part of the LaSalle Bank Chamber Music Series
Concert Program
ZIPORYN, Sulvasutra
ABOU-KHALIL, Arabian Waltz
DAS, Shristi
KALHOR, Silent City
PERAPESKERO, Turceasca (Arr. Osvaldo Golijov, Ljova)
April 17 at 8:00 PM
Miguel Harth-Bedoya leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Silk Road Ensemble and Yo-Yo Ma at Symphony Center
Concert Program
SHARAV, Legend of Herlen
HARRISON, Pipa Concerto
TRADITIONAL/WU, Ambush from Ten Sides
ZHOU, Poems from Tang
BLOCH, Schelomo
GOLIJOV, Air to Air
ABOU-KHALIL, Arabian Waltz
April 17
Silk Road Ensemble will premiere Blue and White, a multimedia performance,at the Art Institute of Chicago.
April 20 at 7:30 PM
Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble perform at Symphony Center
Concert Program
ADLER, Music for a Royal Palace
TRADITIONAL, Swallow Song (Arr. Zhao)
LAM, Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain
KIM, Once We Were
YANOV-YANOVSKY, Paths of Parables
GOLIJOV Suite: Lua, Lullaby, Doina Oltului, Gallop
April 21 at 11:00 AM
Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble perform in a special family concert at Symphony Center designed for concertgoers of all ages, taking us on a journey to understand how musical traditions shape the modern world. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
June 4
Silk Road Ensemble Chicago Journey
Silk Road Chicago will culminate on June 4 with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble performing a special storytelling concert in collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The program is inspired by “The Stone Horse,” an ancient Chinese folktale. Silk Road Ensemble percussionists from four countries will train and lead several hundred fourth graders from Chicago Public Schools in an exploration of rhythms for this interactive event.
August 23 and 25
Lucerne Festival Concerts
Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will perform two concerts in Switzerland at the renowned Lucerne Festival. Established in 1938 with a gala concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini, the Festival attracts the foremost performers from around the world and draws 100,000 visitors each year.
August 26 – September 2
Rietberg Museum Residency
Working with a talented team of curators, storytellers and educators at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will develop new artistic collaborations highlighting each of the museum’s collections, from Asia, Africa, Oceania and ancient America. Housed in the Villa Wesendonck (a site of crucial artistic and personal events for Richard Wagner), the Museum will unveil this year the glass pavilion and new galleries that are part of its expansion. The residency will seek to animate the museum’s highly regarded collection through gallery programs, multimedia workshops, performances, storytelling and an outdoor public festival based on the theme of the ancient Silk Road trading route.
September 29 - October 13
China Tour
Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble’s 2007 schedule will reach a dramatic climax with a series of concerts and cultural exchanges in China.
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