Two decades ago, cellist Yo Yo Ma embarked on a new musical journey, forming his Silk Road Ensemble. It’s a multicultural artistic collaboration between musicians from all over the world. They have made recordings, earned a Grammy nomination, commissioned diverse new musical works, created collaborations with students and teachers, and so much more. Silkroad boldly states its mission:
SILKROAD CREATES MUSIC
THAT ENGAGES DIFFERENCE,
SPARKING RADICAL CULTURAL
COLLABORATION
AND PASSION-DRIVEN LEARNING
TO BUILD A MORE HOPEFUL WORLD.
For those of us who experience music as a powerful emotional force, Silkroad’s mission resonates as much as the ensemble’s performances inspire and entertain.
In case you missed it, there was a terrific documentary made about the Silk Road project: THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at some of the individual musicians, framed in the context of their personal backgrounds and world events. The documentary reminds us that, despite some outward differences, we humans have much more in common with one another than we sometimes acknowledge, and there is big payoff in learning more about our commonality. THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS is joyful, touching, and a powerful example of the transcending power of collaboration. I highly recommend it!