Silk Road Ensemble

music group

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June 17, 2026

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The Silk Road Ensemble is a music group founded in 1998 by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Initially, the project focused on exploring the cultural traditions along the ancient Silk Road, a historic trade route connecting China with the West. The ensemble uses the Silk Road as a metaphor for connecting artistic endeavors worldwide across cultures. Their music often features collaborations with musicians from diverse backgrounds, reflecting the cultural exchange that characterized the original Silk Road. The group's first recording, Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, was released in 2002.1

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Mark Morris
later collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble on Layla and Majnun (2016), a stage production of an Azerbaijani opera based on an ancient Arabic folktale. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21, Morris choreographed short video dances for his company and a piece intended to be performed…
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later collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble on Layla and Majnun (2016), a stage production of an Azerbaijani opera based on an ancient Arabic folktale. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–21, Morris choreographed short video dances for his company and a piece intended to be performed…
Read More

Yo-Yo Ma
Soon thereafter he established the Silk Road Ensemble, and the group’s first recording, Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, was released in 2002. The project’s scope subsequently expanded, using the Silk Road as a metaphor for connecting artistic endeavours worldwide and across cultures. A number of additional recordings by the…
Read More
Soon thereafter he established the Silk Road Ensemble, and the group’s first recording, Silk Road Journeys: When Strangers Meet, was released in 2002. The project’s scope subsequently expanded, using the Silk Road as a metaphor for connecting artistic endeavours worldwide and across cultures. A number of additional recordings by the…
Read More

Silk Road
…Yo-Yo Ma to found the Silk Road Project in 1999, which explored cultural traditions along its route and beyond as a means for connecting arts worldwide across cultures.
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…Yo-Yo Ma to found the Silk Road Project in 1999, which explored cultural traditions along its route and beyond as a means for connecting arts worldwide across cultures.
Read More