behind the Silk Road Project
Yo-Yo Ma and His Passion
You heard Yo-Yo Ma's playing at the Obama inauguration. Read more about the passionate learner and how his project travels among campuses.
By: Jake Miller | Source: NRTA Live & Learn | THURSDAY, April 23, 2009
Credit: Justin Lane—Corbis
INAUGURATION DAY: Violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero (in back), cellist Yo-Yo Ma, clarinetist Anthony McGill appeared in freezing weather that put their instruments so far out of tune that a recording they'd prepared was used while they played to dead mics.
where to learn more
Silk Road Highlights
The Silk Road Project burst onto the world musical scene at the Tanglewood Music Center, near Lenox, MA, in 2000. Since then, 60 musicians, composers, and storytellers have participated in its traveling schedule of performances around the world.
Videos of performances and interviews indicate why it has become such a phenomenon. Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet and Silk Road Journeys: Beyond the Horizon collect many of the more than 70 original pieces commissioned and developed by the Silk Road Project.
The Silk Road Project offers its own curriculum materials.
Marking its 10th anniversary in February, 2009, its passion-driven educational model was unveiled in New York City, to be used in the city's public schools.
Catch a Performance
Upcoming events are announced on the Silk Road Project site well in advance.
If you can't go in person, use YouTube.com to get a taste. You can see and hear Alim Qasimov singing mugham, for instance.
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