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 what is one of the artistic challenges of our times: nourishing global connections while maintaining the integrity of art rooted in an authentic tradition.

Many 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, both with and without Ma, in Silk Road Project concerts and festivals in Europe, Asia and North America.

Silk Road Ensemble Artists:

Siamak Aghaei, santur
Edward Arron, cello
Jeffrey Beecher, contrabass
Mike Block, cello
Nicholas Cords, viola
Gevorg Dabaghyan, duduk
Sandeep Das, tabla
Joel Fan, piano
Jonathan Gandelsman, violin
Joseph Gramley, percussion
Ben Haggarty, storyteller
He Cui, sheng
Rauf Islamov, kamancheh
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Eric Jacobsen, cello
Siamak Jahangiry, ney
Hu Jianbing, bawu, sheng, suona
Kayhan Kalhor, composer/kamancheh
Khongorzul Ganbaatar, urtiin duu (longsong)
Dong-Won Kim, Korean percussion and vocals
Ji Hyun Kim, kayagum/vocals
You-Young Kim, viola
Li Hui, pipa Liu Lin, sanxian
Yo-Yo Ma, cello/morin khuur
Ali Asgar Mammadov, tar
Max Mandel, viola
Gulia Mashurova, harp
Kevork Mourad, visual artist
Alim Qasimov, vocals Fargana Qasimova, vocals
Bassam Saba, oud, nay
Shane Shanahan, percussion
Mark Suter, percussion
Kojiro Umezaki, shakuhachi
Wu Man, pipa Wu Tong, sheng
Betti Xiang, erhu
Yang Wei, pipa
DaXun Zhang, contrabass

Map of the Silk Road



Vision of Silk Road Project ( Yo-Yo Ma, Artistic Director The Silk Road Project Inc.)

In the course of 25 years of performing in different parts of the world, I have become increasingly intrigued by the migration of ideas among communities. In my musical journey, I have had the opportunity to learn from a wealth of different musical voices - from the immense compassion and grace of Bach's cello suites, to the ancient Celtic fiddle traditions alive in Appalachia, to the soulful strains of the bandoneón of Argentina's tango cafés. I would like to invite you now to join me in exploring the rich cultural traditions of the Silk Road, the historic trade route that connected the peoples and traditions of Asia with those of Europe.

Throughout my travels, I have thought about the culture, religions and ideas that have been influential for centuries along these historic land and sea routes, and have wondered how these complex interconnections occurred and how new musical voices were formed from the diversity of these traditions. How did an 8th-century Japanese biwa, a pear-shaped stringed instrument, come to be decorated with Persian and Central Asian designs; how did ancient Roman glass influence objects made in China, Korea and Japan; how did such string instruments as the Arab oud, Chinese erhu and Indian sarangi come to influence both East and West?

We live in a world of increasing awareness and interdependence, and I believe that music can act as a magnet to draw people together. Music is an expressive art that can reach to the very core of one's identity. By listening to and learning from the voices of an authentic musical tradition, we become increasingly able to advocate for the worlds they represent. Further, as we interact with unfamiliar musical traditions we encounter voices that are not exclusive to one community. We discover transnational voices that belong to one world.

In 1998, I founded the Silk Road Project to study the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the Silk Road. The Project acts as an umbrella organization and common resource for a number of artistic, cultural and educational programs. By examining the cultural mosaic of the Silk Road, we seek to illuminate the heritages of its countries and identify the voices that represent these traditions today. I believe that when we enlarge our view of the world we also deepen our understanding of our own lives and culture. Through this journey of discovery, the Silk Road Project hopes to plant the seeds of new artistic and cultural growth, and to celebrate living traditions and musical voices throughout the world.

Silk Road Project Staff

Yo-Yo Ma, Artistic Director & Founder
Laura Freid, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director
Isabelle Hunter, Program Director
Andy Russ, Artistic Coordinator
Ed Sweeney, Finance Director and Office Manager
Heidi Koelz, Communications Manager and Executive Assistant
Megan Campbell, Program Coordinator
Kristen Powich, Development Manager

Exclusive Management for Yo-Yo Ma: Opus 3 Artists
Legal: Deming E. Sherman, Esq., Edwards & Angell LLP, Providence, RI
Accounting Firm: Parent, McLaughlin & Nangle