World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma presents “A Life in Music”
in September 2011 for DePauw Discourse.
THE DEPAUW ARCHIVES
When one thinks of a global place, Greencastle, Indiana probably isn’t the first location that comes to mind. This summer, however, the music world will converge on DePauw University’s campus.
This June, DePauw will host the Silk Road Project’s Global Musician Workshop. This workshop is put on by the Silk Road Ensemble, which started as a result of Silkroad, a non-profit founded by famous cellist, Yo-Yo Ma in 1998. Silkroad was founded to forge connections across cultures, disciplines and generations as well as explore differences to enrich humanity.
The Silk Road Ensemble is Ma’s group of musicians from across the world that play a variety of musical styles and instruments.
This workshop will be an opportunity for musicians and musically interested people from around the globe to come together to share their musical talents and styles. Participants will be instructed by members of the Silk Road Ensemble and will be exposed to a variety of cultures by way of music.
DePauw was chosen to host the workshop because of the School of Music’s 21st Century Music Initiative as well as the strength of the community around the school in supporting the arts.
Ma is excited to bring this workshop to DePauw. He told The Artery, Boston's NPR news station, that DePauw has “had full faculty acceptance of a multi-disciplinary curriculum already, but what’s remarkable is that they also work closely with the community.”
The conversations that brought about the workshop took place for many years between the School of Music and the Silk Road Project. Once details of what the workshop would look like came together, the two groups agreed on summer 2016 for a date. However, things came together quickly, and it was moved to June 2015.
“We had about six months notice to get everything ready for it to be this summer,” said School of Music Dean, Mark McCoy, “and it’s really come together nicely.”
Though it is a music-centered workshop, attendees do not need to be musicians. There will be plenty to learn and experience with or without performing the music.
First-year music student Rachel Pearson agrees that the workshop won’t have a singular focus. “It’s a great opportunity,” she said. “Performance and education majors can get involved, plus it doesn’t interfere with school.”
DePauw is offering a May Term class pertaining to the workshop. In this class students will study the history of the Silk Road Project and brainstorm how it can be applied at DePauw in order to create a more inclusive campus climate. They will also take part in the workshop, either as musicians, journalists or documentarians.
Yo-Yo Ma was central to bringing about this workshop. He will open the festivities on the first day by delivering a lecture titled “What Does It Mean to be a 21st Century Musician?”
This will not be Ma’s first visit to DePauw. He previously came in Sept. 2011 as part of DePauw Discourse. During that visit he delivered a lecture, worked with students and performed a sold-out concert.
In addition to Ma’s lecture, scheduled events include workshops with faculty artists, master classes and a faculty performance. On the workshop’s final night, the student bands will give a concert for the public.
The Global Musician Workshop will be held June 8-12 at DePauw. There is a $1,100 cost to participate, however, there is a reduced rate available for DePauw students and also some financial aid. Applications are ongoing though spots are filling up quickly. The application can be found on the Silk Road Project’s website.
Further details and additional events will be announced closer to the workshop.