Silk Road Project
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2008-06-09T07:48:14Z
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/* The Silk Road Ensemble */
'''Silk Road Project, Inc.''' is a not-for-profit organization, initiated by acclaimed cellist [[Yo-Yo Ma]] in [[1998]], promoting collaboration among artists and institutions, promoting multicultural artistic exchange, and studying the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the [[Silk Road]]. The Project is an umbrella organization for a number of artistic, cultural and educational programs. <ref>[http://www.worldandi.com/public/2002/april/silkintro.html Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project] — article published in [[The World & I]]</ref>
The organization has published a book, commissioned 20 new chamber music compositions, and created educational material entitled "Silk Road Encounters." The Silk Road Ensemble has produced three CDs.
At its height from the [[second century BCE]] until the [[14th century]], the [[Silk Road]] was a vast network of trade routes that connected [[China]] to the [[Mediterranean]] through [[Greater Iran]]. For centuries ideas, objects, and people traveled along the [[Silk Road]], making it one of the most fluid and broad arenas of exchange the world has known and a major conduit of [[culture]] and [[civilization]]. The name Silk Road Project serves as a [[metaphor]] of the cultural exchange of ideas envisioned by the project.
==The Silk Road Ensemble==
[[Image:Yo-Yo Ma - Silk Road Journeys Beyond the Horizon.jpg|thumb|''Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon'']]
The '''Silk Road Ensemble''' is a [[musical collective]] and a part of the Silk Road Project. The ensemble is not a fixed group of musicians, but rather a loose collective of as many as 50 musicians from various [[Eurasian Avars|Eurasian]] cultures interested in maintaining the authenticity of their own [[cultural heritage]] and, at the same time, exchanging ideas across ostensibly dissimilar cultures.
The Ensemble has regularly commissioned new works from across a broad musical spectrum, including works by [[Zhao Jiping ]] and [[Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky]], and is known for its series of interdisciplinary festivals and residencies presented in [[North America]], [[Europe]], and [[Asia]]. They have performed in many locations along the historic [[Silk Road]], including [[Iran]], [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[India]], the [[Kyrgyz Republic]] and [[Tajikistan]].
The Ensemble uses various instruments from the [[Silk Road]] region, including a [[pipa]], a Chinese short-necked plucked lute; a [[duduk]], an Armenian double reed woodwind; a [[Shakuhachi]], a Japanese bamboo flute; a [[sarangi]], an Indian string instrument; and a [[morin khuur]], a Mongolian horse head fiddle; among many others.
In addition to Ma, members of the ensemble include:
*Sandeep Das tabla
*[[Wu Man]], pipa
*[[Joel Fan]], piano
==Silk Road Chicago==
'''Silk Road Chicago''' is a yearlong, citywide celebration, from June 2006 to June 2007, with special events, performances, and exhibitions that explore cross-cultural discovery and celebrate the artistic legacy of the historic [[Silk Road]]. Silk Road Chicago is a partnership among the Silk Road Project, the [[Chicago]] Department of Cultural Affairs and the [[Chicago]] Office of Tourism, [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]], and [[The Art Institute of Chicago]].
The collaboration was initiated by [[Yo-Yo Ma]], who dreamed of bringing the historic [[Silk Road]] and the ideas it represents to life in one of the most diverse cities in the world. With this initiative, [[Chicago]] becomes the first city in the world to collaborate on a yearlong partnership with [[Yo-Yo Ma]] and his Silk Road Project.
==References==
<references/>
==See also==
*[[Silk Road]]
*[[Yo-Yo Ma]]
*[[Kayhan Kalhor]]
*[[Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet]]
*[[Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon]]
*[[The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan]]
==External links==
*[http://www.silkroadproject.org Silk Road Project]
*[http://www.silkroadproject.org/music/instruments.html Instruments from the Silk Road]
*[http://www.silkroadproject.org/music/artists.html Artists associated with the Silk Road Ensemble]
*[http://www.silkroadchicago.org Silk Road Chicago]
*[http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?blockName=Tourism%2fI+Want+To&deptMainCategoryOID=&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Tourism&topChannelName=SubAgency&contentOID=536939356&Failed_Reason=Session+not+found&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&com.broadvision.session.new=Yes&Failed_Page=%2fwebportal%2fportalContentItemAction.do&context=dept News Release about Silk Road Chicago]
*[http://www.worldandi.com/public/2002/april/silkintro.html Article from ''The World & I'' about Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project]
*[http://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/08/04/beyond_the_silk_road_with_yoyo_ma/ Interview with Yo-Yo Ma about the Silk Road Project] - Weekend America
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1998]]
[[Category:Musical collectives]]
[[Category:Chamber music groups]]
[[Category:Iranian music]]