Silkroad Ensemble: Uplifted Voices

Description

Grammy Award-winning musical ensemble Silkroad’s Uplifted Voices brings together a stellar lineup of performer-composers from the Silkroad Ensemble in a series of pieces that highlight each artist’s musical storytelling. These compositions, often inspired by their homeland, ancestors, community, and family, represent previously under-recognized voices from around the world, offering a fresh perspective on the history and migration of music. FEATURED ARTISTS Pura Fé, Lap-steel Slide Guitar, Vocals Haruka Fujii, Percussion Maeve Gilchrist, Celtic Harp, Vocals Karen Ouzounian, Cello Layale Chaker, Violin Mazz Swift, Violin, Vocals From the Tuscarora Nation in North Carolina, singer-songwriter and activist Pura Fé blends traditional Native American sounds with contemporary Americana to celebrate her indigenous heritage. Japanese multi-percussionist Haruka Fujii has gained international acclaim as a prominent solo percussionist and marimbist, known for her interpretations of contemporary music and premieres of works by leading composers. Scottish harpist and composer Maeve Gilchrist innovates her instrument’s role in jazz and folk while honoring her Celtic traditions. Acclaimed cellist Karen Ouzounian, a recipient of the S&R Foundation’s Washington Award, is recognized for her heartfelt, detailed performances and collaborations with some of the worlds top musicians. Lebanese violinist and composer Layale Chaker merges Arabic Maqam, jazz, and contemporary classical elements, creating a compelling narrative that invites audiences to explore new soundscapes. Mazz Swift, a Juilliard-trained violinist and composer, integrates classic African American music, electronica, and mindfulness into their work, with improvisation as a central element across genres. ABOUT SILKROAD Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998, recognizing the historical Silk Road as a model for radical cultural collaboration—for the exchange of ideas, tradition, and innovation across borders. In an innovative experiment, he brought together musicians from the lands of the Silk Road to co-create a musical language founded in difference, thus creating the foundation of Silkroad: both a touring ensemble comprised of world-class musicians from all over the globe as well as an organization working to make a positive impact across borders through the arts. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad leads initiatives and educational programming alongside the creation of new music by the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble. For more information, please visit Silkroad.org. The Waterfront Coffee Bar at Field Hall will open at 9AM on Saturday, March 29th and will offer food and drink including wine and beer through 3PM. Theater doors will open at 2:30PM for the 3PM performance. This event is appropriate for audiences of all ages.