Guild Hall in East Hampton presents the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble on Saturday, November 7, at 7 PM. Traversing the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, Silkroad Up-Close presents a brand-new trio seamlessly blending three disparate narratives of language and sound. The program features three internationally acclaimed, genre-bending artists, each credited with reshaping the landscape of their respective instruments through unique improvisational styles and compositional voices.
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma originally conceived the Silkroad Project in 1998 to study the cultural traditions along the ancient trade routes that stretch from the Mediterranean Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
Acclaimed composer and instrumentalist Kaoru Watanabe’s work is grounded in traditional Japanese music, while imbued with contemporary jazz, improvisation, and experimental music elements. He has worked with such figures as Laurie Anderson, Jason Moran, and André 3000.
Hailing from Damascus, Syria, Kinan Azmeh has been taking the international music scene by storm with his unique blending of Eastern and Western styles, bombastic improvisation and large-scale compositions for orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, and the Seattle Symphony.
Scottish harper and composer Maeve Gilchrist has been credited with bringing the Celtic harp to new levels of visibility through her unique improvisational and textural approach to the instrument. She has collaborated with artists such as from Arooj Aftab, Yo-Yo Ma, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Esperanza Spalding.
Through this unique collaboration, audiences will hear three very different musical voices in conversation as they find the sweet spots of stylistic intersection, dramatic contrast, and virtuosity, forging an entirely new aesthetic that feels as organic as can be.
Tickets are available here.
In addition to the live concert on Saturday, November 7, the artists will be holding two special engagements to round out a weekend of music, movement, and storytelling. Harmony in Motion, set for Friday, November 6, at 7 PM at the Madala Yoga Center for Healing Arts, is an immersive workshop exploring the connections between live music, movement, deep listening, and meditation. Silkroad artists Maeve Gilchrist and Kaoru Watanabe join Mandala Yoga Center to guide participants through listening, movement, and breath exercises. No previous yoga, movement, or musical experience is required. Reservations are available here.
On Friday, November 6, at 5 PM, the East Hampton Library and Hamptons Festival of Music will screen the film “Half Moon,” part of its Connections and Conversations Series. The film will be followed by a conversation with Kinan Azmeh, clarinetist, composer, member of the National Endowment for the Arts, and Nigel Noble, Academy Award-winning documentarian. The documentary follows virtuosic clarinetist and composer Kinan Azmeh, a Damascus-born musician living in exile, as he seeks meaning and purpose after the outbreak of war in Syria. Register for this program here.