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| musical groups established in 1998 | |
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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 and promoting multicultural artistic exchange. 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, including ''Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon''. The term Silk Road refers to an interconnected series of routes through Southern Asia traversed by Caravan and ocean vessel, and connecting Chang'an (today's Xi'an ), China , with Antioch , Asia Minor , as well as other points. Its influence carried over into Korea and Japan . These exchanges were significant not only for the development and flowering of the great Civilization s of Ancient Egypt , Mesopotamia , China , Persia (Iran) , India and Rome but also helped to lay the foundations of our modern world. Thus, the name serves as a metaphor of the cultural exchange of ideas envisioned by the project. THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE The Silk Road Ensemble is the musical section of a broader Silk Road Project. The ensemble is not a fixed group of musicians, but rather a loose collective of musicians from various Eurasian cultures interested in maintaining the authenticity of their own cultural heritage and, at the same time, exchanging ideas across ostensibly dissimilar cultures. Starting in January 2000, the ensemble has regularly commissioned new works from across a broad musical spectrum and has performed not only in America and Europe, but in many locations along the old Silk Road, including Armenia , Azerbaijan , Kazakhstan , India , the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan . Depending on the composition, listeners can expect to see instruments—besides the western cello of Yo-Yo Ma, himself—as varied as Chinese lutes, Armenian double reed woodwinds, Persian dulcimers, Japanese bamboo flutes, Indian string and percussion instruments, and Mongolian horsehead fiddles, among many others. SILK ROAD CHICAGO Silk Road Chicago is a partnership among The Silk Road Project, Inc., the Chicago Symphony Orchestra , The Art Institute Of Chicago , and the City Of Chicago , culminating in performances, special exhibitions, family programs, neighborhood concerts, and educational activities throughout 2006 and 2007. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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