He leads his own bands Hewar and the Kinan Azmeh CityBand. He is a Silkroad ensemble artist with whom he won a Grammy in 2016. His recent orchestral album Uneven Sky with the Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin has won Germany’s OpusKlassik Award in 2019.

Recent commissions include works for the Seattle Symphony, the New York Philharmonic the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Brooklyn Rider, Aizuri Quartet and the Amsterdam Cello Octet.

He is a graduate of The Juilliard School, the Damascus High Institute of Music, and Damascus University’s School of Electrical Engineering, Kinan holds a doctorate in music from the City University of New York.He is currently working on his first opera, Songs For Days To Come which will be premiered in June 2022 by The Osnabruck Theater, Germany.

How did you decide to become a musician? What drew you to your instrument?

I think the decision happened organically, I have always loved many things, sports, math, music, nature, food, and physics. The choice became clearer after graduating from the Higher Institute of Music and the Faculty of Electrical engineering, both in Damascus, when I found myself applying to music schools for my graduate studies.

I started on the violin early on, and by age 7 it occurred to my parents that things were not going well because I am left handed. My father reached out to the Encyclopedia Britannica asking for advice, and they suggested that I might be better off switching to an even handed instrument. The two instruments that where taught in Damascus at the time and that fit that criteria were the piano and the clarinet, and I decided to choose the lighter one as I knew early on that a musician is supposed to travel.

When did you first work with Silkroad? And if you remember, what was the project? 

I started playing with silkroad in 2012. I was invited to join in a performance of a new work by the wonderful composer David Bruce.

What is one of your favorite memories while working with Silkroad?

Too many to count here, it has been an endless stream of favorite moments, the US summer music festival tour in 2016 is certainly a highlight.

How has the pandemic affected you as an artist?

The personal eclipsed the professional, I believe it affected me as a human more so than an artist. In addition to worrying about loved ones and the world at large, Covid-19 allowed me to pay closer attention to my immediate surroundings. After living in New York for 20 years, it was the first time that I paid close attention to the soil (and soul) of the city in my backyard in Brooklyn. I connected with neighbors, planted a weeping Japanese cherry tree, grew vegetables and noticed the different seasons.

From a more practical perspective, I usually split my time between composing and performing, and this past year allowed me to focus more on composition.

What kind of projects have you been working on and what can we expect in the coming months or year?

I am now working on my first opera, Songs For Days To Come will be premiered in Osnabruck, Germany in June 2022. I have been working on this project which began as a song cycle for 6 years. This project is very personal to me as it is inspired by the Syria I love to be, and it is a collaboration with fifteen Syrian poet-friends who have written incredible poems in the past 11 years.

What are you listening to these days?

I am listening attentively to the different wonderful sounds that my baby is producing daily, it is incredible how humans are able to communicate even at that early stage.

What advice would you give to a young musician who has now read through all of these questions?

Be honest, adventurous, fearless and trust your guts and heart. If you want to go on a unique musical path, you will have to carved it out yourself. Also, if you are an instrumentalist: COMPOSE! I strongly believe that when you write your own music it will deepen your love and understanding of the music that is written by others.

She has premiered hundreds of new works for the pipa and appeared in more than 40 recordings. Projects she has initiated have resulted in the pipa finding a place in new solo and quartet works, concertos, opera, chamber, electronic, and jazz music as well as in theater productions, film, dance, and collaborations with visual artists. She has performed in recital and with major orchestras around the world, is a frequent collaborator with ensembles such as the Kronos and Shanghai Quartets and The Knights, and is a founding member of the Silkroad Ensemble.

Born in Hangzhou, China, Wu Man studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where she became the first recipient of a master’s degree in pipa. She moved to the U.S. in 1990 and was awarded the Bunting Fellowship at Harvard University in 1998.

She was the first Chinese traditional musician to receive the United States Artist Fellowship (2008) and the first artist from China to perform at the White House. In 2013, she was named Musical America’s Instrumentalist of the Year and in 2021 she received an honorary Doctorate of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music. She is a Visiting Professor at her alma mater the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and a Distinguished Professor at the Zhejiang and the Xi’an Conservatories.

How did you decide to become a musician? What drew you to your instrument?

My parents decided that I was going to be a musician! My father thought that girls looked very elegant holding the pipa, and so they encouraged me to play. The pipa has a long, respectable history in China and a lot of stories behind it. I was intrigued by it and also drawn to the shape of it. It looked very different and interesting. I also liked the challenge of learning to play, and I was a quick learner. Kids are brave! They just go for it and play loud and fast! I struggled to continue to perfect my technique and play the notes to get the sound I need to get, but the pipa very soon became an essential part of my life.

When did you first work with Silkroad? And if you remember, what was the project? 

The concept of Silkroad was first explained to me by Yo-Yo in 1998 when we were performing a concert lecture together. He told me he wanted to start a band with all kinds of instruments and with people from all kinds of music traditions and I was very excited and said “I’m in!” I was part of the very first workshop at Tanglewood and officially joined the ensemble in 2000. We have been on many adventures together and it has changed my life and opened up the world to me on many different levels.

(Wu Man speaks about the origins of Silkroad in this podcast.)

What is one of your favorite memories while working with Silkroad?

Our 2003 tour of Central Asia remains a favorite and treasured memory. We went to the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan – the heart of the actual Silk Road. We stayed at the President’s compound in Kazakhstan, which was an extraordinary experience. The main reason it is my favorite memory is because of the people that we met. The students, the audiences, and the other musicians were all very beautiful and warm.  To me, it captured what the Silkroad Ensemble and being a musician is all about: being open to other cultures and to use music as a way to bring people together.

How has the pandemic affected you as an artist?

The main impact was not being able to travel. So much of my life as an artist is performing and connecting with audiences and other musicians, and also teaching, in person. The pandemic meant that I had to find other ways to do make those connections. I took part in a lot of online lectures and masterclasses, virtual concerts, and also created my own “Pop Up Pipa” series that is 12 short videos with guest musicians from around the world, blending cross-cultural performances with fun facts about musical traditions.

What kind of projects have you been working on and what can we expect in the coming months or year?

This year I released two albums, “Flow” and “Distant Mountains.” Both pair the pipa with another traditional instrument. “Flow” is my project  with shakuhachi master  – and fellow Silkroad member! - Kojiro Umezaki and “Distant Mountains” is with sheng master Wu Wei. 

I recorded a solo pipa recital for the IDAGIO Global Concert Hall. Titled “An Evening with Wu Man—The Journey of Chinese Pipa: Ancient Ties for Modern Sound,” the pieces on the program were selected to show how the pipa’s story has shaped my own personal journey. It even includes Dance of the Yi People, the piece I played at my 1978 audition for the Beijing Conservatory, that I still perform today! As well as traditional music, there are also improvisations and some of my own compositions and arrangements. It is available to watch until Sep. 12.

I was proud to be on the faculty for Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop this month. This is always an inspiring and stimulating experience and it was especially meaningful for me to be taking part while quarantining in China.

I have also been working on a score for a documentary film.

In February 2022 I will perform Lou Harrison’s pipa concerto with the San Francisco Symphony.

What are you listening to these days?

I have not been listening to much music lately, but I have been reading! I am currently reading the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche while in quarantine in China.

What advice would you give to a young musician who has now read through all of these questions?

Always be open to new experiences! Do not view different music traditions or different cultures as a barrier but a pathway to expanding your world. It you explore differences it will bring surprises to your life and make it more fun. Be generous and let music lead you in new and exciting places.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Right now I am back in China, which is very exciting. After four weeks of quarantine, I am eager to see my family and also resume my professorship at the Zhejiang Conservatory.

Click here to watch a video from Wu Man while in quarantine!

As an innovator, Mike is among the first wave of cellists to adopt a strap in order to stand and move while playing. With The Block Strap, Mike was the first standing cellist to perform at Carnegie Hall. The NY Times characterized the performance as, "Breathless ... Half dance, half dare." As an educator, Mike is passionate about creativity and collaboration, and is the founding director of Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop, and the Mike Block String Camp.

How did you decide to become a musician? What drew you to your instrument?

I grew up in a family of Western Classical musicians, so I began playing Suzuki Violin very young. When I was 9, the other kids in my school started playing instruments as well, and the other short kid in my class chose the cello, so I thought maybe I'd like to sit by him by switching instruments. :) Also, I was fascinated by the low c-string of the cello – to think that I could make a sound that low was pretty amazing to me, at the time.

When did you first work with Silkroad? And if you remember, what was the project? 

I met Silkroad in 2004 as a participant in their Professional Training Workshop through Carnegie Hall. It was a life-changing week spent at Tanglewood, playing music and hanging out with the ensemble and with Yo-Yo Ma. It was a year later that I was first asked to join the ensemble on a tour to Japan for the World Expo.

What is one of your favorite memories while working with Silkroad?

That is a difficult question ... too many!! :)

What makes you excited or inspires you as an artist and what kind of projects do you love working on?

My favorite thing to do is collaborate with musicians from other cultures/styles. Without prescribed "roles" to fill, cross-genre music often becomes even more personal for me. Collaborators have no choice but to invest all of ourselves into the music in order to find common ground. The result is utterly dependent on the specific individuals on stage, and you can't swap one musician out for a substitute without changing the overall experience/conversation.

How has the pandemic affected you as an artist?

I've tried to take this opportunity to work on some things I've been wishing I could spend more time on for a while, but regular touring often gets in the way. I've enjoyed taking lots of private lessons from other musicians I respect, working on improvisation in Jazz, Arabic, and Indian styles, as well as some lessons with African musicians, and vocal lessons.

What kind of projects have you been working on and what can we expect in the coming months or year?

I have a duo with the Indian tabla player Sandeep Das (we met in Silkroad Ensemble!), and we just released our debut album, "Where the Soul Never Dies". Over the summer I'll be directing two music camps: Silkroad's Global Musician Workshop (August 8-14) and the Mike Block String Camp (July 5-10).

What are you listening to these days?

While completing this interview, I just finished listening to an album by the Persian folk supergroup, Rastak, and now "Valleys (My Love)", by Whitney, is playing. :)

What advice would you give to a young musician who has now read through all of these questions?

I don't have any blanket advice that would apply to all young musicians... but maybe I can offer a Zen riddle to ponder: "Music is a tool. What do you want to build?"

Check out more of Mike’s projects:

How did you decide to become a musician? What drew you to your instrument?

It's a family affliction! I have a number of aunts and cousins who play the Irish Harp. Although my mother is from Ireland, I grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, immersed in the rich traditional music scene it had to offer. The (Celtic) harp is also a common instrument in traditional Scottish folk music so, between its presence in my community and the family connection to the instrument, it wasn't an alien choice for me. 

The rich community of the folk-scene in Scotland was as much a draw for me as the instrument. As a kid I enjoyed the fun social elements – meeting other young traditional musicians and jamming together, making all kinds of mischief! This idea of music as a deep form of connectivity is integral to folk music across the globe and stayed at the forefront of my practice even as it has branched out from my traditional roots.

When did you first work with Silkroad? And if you remember, what was the project? 

I first worked with Silkroad as a faculty artist for their Global Musician Workshop in 2016 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. I was immediately struck by the joy of the community! It was the first music camp I'd been to where the focus was as much about the philosophy behind the notes as on the music itself. I loved the conversations about collaboration, a practice of deep listening, and the use of music as a conversational tool. I was so buoyed up by the whole experience and the big hearts of the folk I'd met there and am delighted to have continued a working-relationship with Silkroad ever since.

What is one of your favorite memories while working with Silkroad?

I remember a moment from that very first week at the Global Musician Workshop. The wonderful tenor-saxophone player Seamus Blake was jamming out with a whole crowd of percussion students from around the globe. The old-time fiddle player, Bruce Molsky, grabbed my hand, and we ended up two-stepping around the room, enveloped by this wonderful cacophony of multicultural sounds! We had Jazz, we had Middle-Eastern music, and here I was, a Scottish harp-player dancing with a fiddler from the Bronx steeped in the music of Southern Appalachia! It was bonkers, but it worked! That moment seems like a perfect analogy for the joy and connection that Silkroad represents.

What makes you excited or inspires you as an artist and what kind of projects do you love working on?

I love digging deep into imaginative soundscapes and imagination and the idea of creating a world into which the listener can step. When I compose, I'm not just thinking of the notes, but I'm very focused on ambience, the sonic-framing of the music, and how I can make this aural experience as immersive as possible for the listener. Every project is an opportunity to create something beautiful and unique. A new world.

How has the pandemic affected you as an artist?

Observing the catastrophic impact the virus has had on our arts community (not to mention the world at large), I realize how very lucky I am to have had continuous work throughout the pandemic.  Although I didn't have a private teaching practice prior to March 2020, I did run a free monthly online platform for harpers across the globe to come together, learn, and ask questions. During my travels, I had met so many harp players, particularly in rural communities, who didn't have access to a harp teacher. This meant that come March 2020 I was lucky to have access to thousands of harpers via my email list, and I immediately started teaching. It's made me even more grateful to the harping community, and I've learned a huge amount this year about pedagogy and building community online. It's also been an incredible opportunity to teach remotely at several institutions in both the US and Europe. I don't know when else in my life I would be able to teach one day at the Guildhall School in London and the next at Berklee in Boston!  Since the fall, I've been teaching less, as arts organizations started to reimagine opportunity for artists, and have been involved in more commission-based work. With the rollout of vaccinations, there's a much brighter light on the future as in-person concerts and education opportunities are beginning to roll out.

I think the toughest part of this year has been the loneliness of not being able to connect with my clan, my artistic kindred-spirits. Music has always been my way of communicating and processing feeling, and it was an eye-opening experience to have to do more of that on my own this year.  I can't wait to get back to making in-person music, creating a suspended space for the audience to visit and experiencing the pure joy of doing what we do!

What kind of projects have you been working on and what can we expect in the coming months or year?

Last October I put out an album called The Harpweaver – a project inspired by a lot of old Music-Hall-era melodies and the poetry of the great Jazz-age American poet, Edna St Vincent Millay. It hones in on the idea of artistic nostalgia which resonated perfectly with the isolation of the lockdown we were experiencing. When we can't be with those that we love, surely the next best thing is experiencing 'sounds' of home? 

For obvious reasons, we weren't able to tour this project, and I'm thrilled to be touring it with the Grammy-nominated Aizuri Quartet through 2022.

I'm also excited to be doing a series of performances with the fantastic Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab. I've been working with Arooj for around 6 years now, and her music is balm for the soul – dark, re-imaginings of Sufi poetry. We'll be touring as the Vulture Prince Ensemble through the next year in the US and Europe. AND of course, I'm beyond excited to start creating with my Silkroad family as we shape and create the reemergence of the ensemble under the exciting new artistic leadership of Rhiannon Giddens. There's a great buzz among the Silkroad community at present, and I'm sure it's going to be channeled into a very special performance for the 2022 season.

What are you listening to these days?

Arooj Aftab –Vulture Prince  (Dreamy, dark re-imaginings of Sufi Poetry)

Ye Vagabonds – The Hare's lament (Two Irish brothers, singing and playing in the vein of the great Paul Brady/Andy Irvine. I've listened to this album a bazillion times!)

Martyn Bennett – Grit (Martyn Bennet was a ground-breaking force in the Scottish Music scene with his unique fusion of Electronic Club Music and traditional Scottish music. He's a musical hero of mine and this, his last, album is focused on sampling old-Scottish recordings (many from the Outer Hebrides) and creating an exhilarating sound that's totally his own.)

Toumani Diabate and Ali Farka Touré – In the Heart of the Moon (Two of the most important West African Musicians on the planet. This is just the best!)

Sarah Jarosz – World on the Ground (Sarah is one of my favorite singer-songwriters on the scene today. I think this is her best work yet.)

What advice would you give to a young musician who has now read through all of these questions?

Be curious and work hard. I think that curious people live happy lives. Their ears and hearts always open to new sounds and ideas that fuel creativity and contentment. Work hard and make everyone else sound as good as they possibly can.

How did you decide to become a musician? What drew you to your instrument?

Music has been a major part of my childhood, through my father's beautiful voice, my mother's portable radio, and my brothers' cassette tapes. One day, my brother brought an Oud home, and soon enough, I started to explore the instrument and discover the sounds it made. The Oud spoke to me in a language I understood, it was familiar and amicable, and continues to be a great companion to me today. At that point, I didn’t really decide to become a musician, but rather decided to play music, for it gave me a sense of fulfillment and community. It wasn’t until later in my life, after completing my studies in Math and Science and working in the health field that I made a shift to focus on musical, educational, and cultural projects.

When did you first work with Silkroad? And if you remember, what was the project? 

I first joined Silkroad as a teaching artist in 2009 as part of Silkroad Connect, a program that targets low-income schools in NYC and teaches kids about the different artistic traditions in the world. That experience, for my 19-year old self, was very valuable. It showed me how powerful music education is. A year later, I was invited to become a member of the Ensemble. 

What is one of your favorite memories while working with Silkroad?

One of my favorite memories with Silkroad was in Lebanon when we visited a Syrian refugee school. We did a great job connecting with the kids and teachers. I remember in one of the classes how all the children and faculty were clapping, smiling, and dancing; there were also kids peeking at us from the windows outside the building and clapping along. I appreciated that connection a lot especially with a group of people who have experienced the suffering of war and displacement.

What makes you excited or inspires you as an artist and what kind of projects do you love working on?

The human experience inspires me, especially the human internal journey. Exploring questions about our behavior, our evolution, our awareness, is interesting to me. I composed a piece of music based on a poem by Elia Abu Madi, a Lebanese poet who formed the Arab Pen League along with Gibran Khalil Gibran. In his poem, Al Talasim (The Mysteries), a controversial piece written in 1929, composed of 40 pages, 340 verses, and divided into 7 sections, he asks existential questions in a very avant-garde thought-provoking way. I enjoy working on these kinds of projects.

Al Talasim (The mysteries)
I came, I don’t know from where, but here I am
I saw a road before me, so I walked the road
And I shall continue to walk, whether I want to or not
How did I come? How did I see my road?
I don’t know
Am I new in this existence? Or am I old?
Am I truly free, or bound in chains?
Am I the leader of myself through life, or am I led?
I wish I know, but
I don’t know

How has the pandemic affected you as an artist?

One of the major ways COVID-19 affected me and other artists was through limiting our access to our communities and restricting our ability to connect with them in one intimate physical space. Of course, a lot of performances were cancelled and many creative projects were delayed. But despite all of that, we kept going through the downs and showed great resilience. I know a lot of artists in my circle who adapted quickly to the new situation and used the constraints to their advantage. Such resilience didn’t surprise since I find it to be a major attribute of the creative community of artists.

What kind of projects have you been working on and what can we expect in the coming months or year?

I am working on an album where I collect and arrange folkloric songs that appeared in the shows and theater plays of a dark comedy character from Syria, called Ghawar. His shows were particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The contributions of the actors, musicians, playwrights, and the rest of the creative team who worked on Ghawar’s shows were tremendous. I want to pay a tribute to them by producing this album. Expect the album by Fall of this year, and don't be surprised if you saw some of the songs published as NFTs (non-fungible token). You can find out more about the album by following my instagram or The Brooklyn Nomads instagram.

What are you listening to these days?

Faraj Suleiman, a talented musician from Palestine. Check him out on Spotify and other platforms.

What advice would you give to a young musician who has now read through all of these questions?

Know what you want to do, and believe in your abilities to reach your goals, because with enough faith, commitment, and love, you will.

How did you decide to become a musician? What drew you to your instrument?

Believe it or not, my journey started with a complaint from school. I had been tapping on my desk in class and when asked to stop, unbeknownst to me, I would start tapping with my feet. My father was told I should be taken to a doctor, and I feared the worst — doctors, needles, injections… who knows what else!  To my surprise, when I got home, my father greeted me at the door with a big smile on his face. And just behind him, I noticed something sitting on the coffee table…

“Dad, what are those?” I pointed at the strange pair of drums.

“Those are Tabla, and your lessons start tonight!” That very evening, I was taken to my first Guru, Shri Sheo Kr Singh. 

There’s a saying in India that you don’t choose the instrument — the instrument chooses you. For me, it was like love at first sight!

When did you first work with Silkroad? And if you remember, what was the project? 

I was first introduced to Silkroad by our Iranian Kamancheh player, Maestro Kayhan Kalhor. Kayhan and I had been playing together for the past seven or eight years, and we had a trio called Ghazal, a very successful Indian/Persian music collaboration which had been nominated twice for a Grammy. When he was asked by Silkroad to write a piece that included tabla, he insisted on my recommendation. My first concert with the ensemble was for the world premiere of his piece, Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur. I remember it very vividly — it was a series of four world premiere concerts at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Kurt Masur. I believe that was around 2001, so it’s been two decades now since I joined Silkroad!

What is one of your favorite memories while working with Silkroad?

That’s a tough question! There are so, so, so, many happy memories. If I had to pick one, one moment that still stands out is the concert I was just talking about, my first concert with Silkroad. There I was, walking onstage at the Lincoln Center for the first rehearsal. As I’m getting ready to tune, a woman comes up in front of me and sets up a strange metal object. I looked at it curiously and asked, “What is this?” 

“That’s your music stand.”

I had no idea what that meant, and I was a bit annoyed it was blocking my view! Before I could enquire further, another woman came up and put some sheets of paper on the stand. “What are those?”

“That’s your music.”

“But I don’t read music…”

Suddenly, there was pin drop silence, and I could feel 50 pairs of eyes on me as the entire orchestra stared in disbelief. They had flown in this guy from India, for four world premiere concerts, and he couldn’t even read music! (For those that might not know, Indian Classical Music is an oral tradition based on improvisation, so the concept of reading music during a concert doesn’t exist.)

I looked at the group and said, “Well, if you guys play it once, I should be able to memorize it.” Again there was silence. The piece was maybe 20-22 minutes long. Luckily, this man holding what I thought was a big violin stands up and says, “You know guys, I know these Indian musicians. They do some crazy stuff. Why don’t we just play it for him?” I remember thinking he was such a nice guy, and I was immensely grateful as the orchestra began playing. Halfway through the piece, I meekly raised my hand and said I was ready. There was another hush of disbelief, but as the piece started, I was able to play as if I had known it my whole life!

Later during the break, I went up to the principal violinist and asked about the guy with the big violin. “Who is that guy? He plays so well!” She seemed to think I was joking. “That’s Yo-Yo Ma.”

“Is he well-known?” 

She stared at me for a moment and then realized I was being honest. I really didn’t know who Yo-Yo Ma was! Even today, she still teases me about that conversation. That was my first time meeting Yo-Yo and playing with the ensemble, and my first introduction to the world of Western Classical Music, which opened a whole new world for me. It’s an experience I will always cherish!

What makes you excited or inspires you as an artist and what kind of projects do you love working on?

Growing up in India, I lived and trained with my Guru for 12 years to learn the Tabla. When I was younger, I would look forward to going out and conquering the world with my music — fighting a battle onstage, winning over the audience, and emerging victorious! But, as life continues, you meet new people, and you gather new experiences. My perspective has since expanded, and I actually credit Yo-Yo and Silkroad for helping catalyze that.

About 10 years ago, I started thinking, “What am I doing to carry forward this amazing idea that Yo-Yo started?” The idea of collaborating across cultures and working to make a positive change in the world.  And the answer didn’t satisfy me: I would come play, have a good time, head home, and that was it. So I decided I wanted to make a difference, and founded an organization called HUM in India, inspired in part by Silkroad. We started touring World Music and sponsoring the artistic studies of visually-impaired children in India, and it has since grown from three children to nine. This organization has now been around for about 10 years – the first kid I started with is now 15 or 17 years old, and is already playing good Tabla. To be a part of a child’s life in that way – having a positive impact on their life and creating opportunities they might not otherwise have – is an immensely fulfilling experience. 

In addition to that, I would again take Yo-Yo’s name. A question he once asked himself really influenced me. Does the world really need another cellist? It made me think, and I started asking myself: Does the world really need another Tabla player? Is it enough to just be a good musician? The answer is an overwhelming no!

So, I started a project called Transcending Borders One Note At A Time around the time Silkroad won the Grammy. The Syrian crisis hit, and I saw this image of a little child, well-dressed, lying dead, face-down on a beach in Europe. That image just killed me. I picked up the phone and I talked to Yo-Yo, and I was like... just being angry is not enough. What can we do? And he said beautifully: Let's make more music. That inspired me to start the first project under the Transcending Borders canopy, Delhi to Damascus. I brought in Indian musicians and Syrian musicians, and we released the HUM Ensemble’s first album. That project was touring in Dallas, and at the end of one concert, the  mayor of Dallas and his wife came up and said, “please continue doing what you are trying to do.” To me, that meant a lot. These days, projects which make a difference, or are at least genuinely attempting to make a difference, are what inspire me.

How has the pandemic affected you as an artist?

You know I’m a positive person, and I like to look at the glass as half full. Of course, the pandemic has affected me, just as it has affected every colleague I know, but I can also see that it has affected many more people in ways that are much worse. When I see that, I don’t feel that I have any right to be unhappy, depressed, or sad.  Like many others, all my concerts and tours, in addition to events that I was looking forward to, have been cancelled, but I’m thankful and happy that my family and I are healthy. Musically, it has given me time to pause and think, and I have been able to work on things I have been postponing for years — hopefully some cool projects will come out of it!

Also, thanks to the technology we have, I have had some good opportunities to teach all over the world, which usually requires a lot more planning and travel. I recently taught a few classes for a music school in Melbourne, gave a few masterclasses for colleges across the US, and presented a TEDx talk for a school in India. I’ve also been able to spend a lot of time teaching my private students online, and have had some online concerts here and there. At the end of the day, I'm just thankful that I have a roof over my head and that the ladies (my wife and daughters) haven't kicked me out completely!

What kind of projects have you been working on and what can we expect in the coming months or year?

Right now, I'm working on releasing an album with Mike Block, my colleague from Silkroad, which should be out later in June (pre-orders available NOW!). I’m very excited about that!

Afterwards, the next major project is something which I got the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship for Subah-e-Kashi Shaam-e-Shiraz (Morning in Kashi, Night in Shiraz). My hope is to do work that will connect these two cultures that I have roots in (Kashi) and friends from (Shiraz) and, by doing that, sharing that we are not so different. We might look different, we might speak different languages, but, ultimately, we are humans first. 

Bringing positivity, spreading love, and spreading awareness about the commonalities we should be focusing on is one of the core themes of the Transcending Borders project I mentioned earlier, which this is a part of. It can be music, it can be talking to someone. It's about much more than just playing a concert.

What are you listening to these days?

Recently, I have gone back to reading books. I'm re-reading a book that I had read 15 years ago called Autobiography of a Yogi, which changed my life in many ways. I'm re-reading it now because, growing up in India, I have lived some of the experiences the author describes, and it has given me new insight on a spiritual level.

Listening-wise, Growing up, we would drool for my Guruji to pull out the old spool to play a recording of his Guru. Nowadays, all I need to do is get on YouTube and type his name, and I can take my pick from all the recordings other people have posted! I’ve been digging into old recordings of Indian maestros, listening to them, and enjoying them a lot.

What advice would you give to a young musician who has now read through all of these questions?

I would say follow your heart. Don't do anything that doesn't make you happy. Don't stop following your heart. 

Is there anything else you want to share?

To whoever is reading this, my colleagues in Silkroad, and everyone I have met on this journey so far, I feel very lucky and grateful that I have always gotten love. With everything the world has been going through socially and politically, I think it's very important that we all go out and spread love. 

Alysha Addetia
Communiations & Operations

"Hello! My name is Alysha Addetia and I am a flute player located in Toronto, Canada. It is a literal dream come true to be able to work with Silkroad and to be able to meet all of the incredible artists that I have admired and followed the work of since Silkroad's founding. It has been an inspiration to me through my entire music career- being the definition of plurality, diversity, and cross-cultural collaboration in music. I am so excited for the opportunity to meet everyone and be able to work with and learn from all of you very soon!“

Alysha Addetia (she/her) is a Canadian flautist and artist educator, performing solo and part of ensembles and orchestras nationally and globally. Most recently, Alysha recorded as part of Monkey Tale and Raghupati on the Toronto Tabla Ensemble’s latest album, Unexpected Guests, and has toured across Canada as the solo flautist in the musical production, Rihla. Notably, she performed at Aiglemont, the estate of His Highness the Aga Khan in France, for His Diamond Jubilee Inauguration as the flautist in a global-membered ensemble. Further, Alysha is an advocate for diversity and a global approach at education, valuing a strong foundation in appreciating diverse cultures from a young age and using music as a means to reach that goal. Alysha has received numerous notable awards for her work in early childhood music education and her interests and research in Ethnomusicology. She holds two degrees from the University of Toronto in Flute Performance and Music Education and has been teaching private woodwind and piano lessons for over 15 years.

MOJIB GHAZNAWI
DEVELOPMENT & FUNDRAISING

“You all inspire me as an artist. My name is Mojib Ghaznawi and I'm a huge fan. Outside of my bio, I love improvisational music, humor, and laughter. I'm actively working on my smile wrinkles by smiling underneath my mask (what a metaphor...), and pre-pandemic I would get my fix through stand-up comedy, hip-hop cyphers, jazz concerts, and contemporary classical music. Ultimately, I love challenging and breaking expectations, especially my own. I'm very interested in the creative processes behind Silkroad programming, recruitment, and funding because I aspire to recreate high caliber programming that goes deeper than entertainment and cultivates introspection on my path through US cultural diplomacy.”

Mojib Ghaznawi is a 2019 Rangel Fellow and currently studying public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Upon graduating from HKS, he will join the US Foreign Service as an entry-level diplomat. He grew up in Northern Virginia and attended the Elliott School for International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington DC. His family is from Russia and Afghanistan, and he is a first-generation American. Mojib’s policy interests include: the role of arts and cultural affairs, spirituality and faith-based peacebuilding, and reforming diversity and inclusion at the State Department. Mojib has worked at the intersection of government and music at the largest musician’s labor union, the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities, for the cultural attaché and media offices of the Afghan Embassy in DC, programming for Reed Society for the Sacred Arts, and conflict resolution in Israel and Palestine through music. Ultimately, his ambition as a US Foreign Service Officer is to work on ensuring lasting peace in Afghanistan. Mojib speaks Arabic, Persian (Dari), Russian, and Spanish fluently.

Fun fact: Mojib is a professional flautist, performing Afghan, Andalusian, Indian, Arabic, and Western classical as well as hip-hop and jazz.

MIKHAIL JOHNSON
Communiations & Operations

“I am Mikhail Johnson. I hail from the Mountain side of Maroon Town in Jamaica. Now I am currently in Lubbock Texas for my doctoral degree in Piano Performance. I am very happy to be joining the Silkroad Team as an intern. I have been a huge fan of the group and have always been an advocate for composers and performers tapping into their cultural heritage to bridge gaps which is why as a composer my style focuses on documenting and perpetuating my Jamaican heritage. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn from the best organization how to achieve this mission on a larger scale and hope that I’ll have the tools to one day create my own ensemble and organization to further that cause.”

Mikhail Johnson, born in the rural hills of Maldon in the parish of St. James, Jamaica, is one of the country’s most promising pianists and composers. As a pianist he has won several competitions both nationally and internationally which resulted in his debut with the Jamaica Symphony Orchestra and major performances throughout the United States, Greece, and Italy. As a composer, Johnson’s music mixes European classical music and traditional Jamaican culture to, in a minute way, catalogue, preserve and perpetuate a cultural heritage. His compositional output is being published on his own publishing label Johno Muzik and comprises of: sacred and patriotic choral works, African-American spiritual arrangements, song cycles and instrumental works. His unique compositional style has resulted in commissions from universities and music organizations and several performances of his works by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, The Cantus Ensemble of London, The North/South Consonance Ensemble, The Concordia Ensemble of the University of Notre Dame, Transient Canvas and the Departure Duo. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science and a minor in music from Northern Caribbean University; Double Masters of Music degree in piano performance and composition from Bowling Green State University, and is currently reading for a Doctor of Music in piano performance at Texas Tech University.

RELYN MYRTHIL
PROGRAMMING

“Hello Silkroad! My name is Relyn and I was homeschooled along with my 5 younger siblings in Miami, FL. Besides academics, I had the opportunity to spend hours at art museums and attending master classes from a young age. I also picked up knitting and was an avid reader of the Little House on the Prairie books, Inkheart Trilogy, and Harry Potter. I was drawn to apply for the Silkroad internship because of my investment in diverse and culturally immersive music performance. I was classically trained in violin and viola and had aspirations to become an orchestral conductor with interest in opera, but after a few years working in arts administration with large orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Symphony, I saw what work needed to be done backstage/behind the scenes as well and pivoted my career towards arts management. I hope to one day lead the nation’s orchestras by example to a more equitable and diverse future. Outside of the music industry, I work at a contemporary art gallery on Noepe Island/Martha’s Vineyard and take care of two cats named Milo and Casper. I am looking forward to connecting with each of you!”

Relyn G. Myrthil is an experienced artistic administrator, independent curator, and art + music historian based in Eastern Massachusetts. Myrthil earned her Bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College as a Posse Scholar in Music and Art History with respective concentrations in Orchestral Conducting/Performance and Museum Studies/Black Art. She is also a SphinxConnect Fellowship recipient.

A Miami native, Myrthil began playing violin at the age of 7 and then viola whilst quickly falling in love with the community orchestra and chamber music provided. Throughout her primary and secondary education years, she maintained an active performance career participating in masterclasses and festivals in South Florida with distinguished artists such as Mimi Zweig, the Amernet Quartet, Bergonzi Quartet, and the New World Symphony. She chose to expand her skill set in college by stepping to the podium and picking up the baton. Additionally, Myrthil became heavily involved with her alma mater’s campus art museum and curated numerous Afro-centric and musical exhibitions. After graduating in the spring of 2019, she has held prominent positions with leading arts organizations such as the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Festival. Most recently, she served as the Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager of the Houston Symphony. Myrthil’s professional interests lie in bringing about arts equity and diversity both on and off stage as well as within the walls of museums at the c-suite level. Currently, she works as a research assistant for acclaimed curator and scholar, Stephanie Sparling-Williams.

How did you decide to become a musician? What drew you to your instrument?

Since I was a little kid, the sound of the violin has always been attractive to me. I think something about the soaring melodies of the Romantic period was what first caught my attention. As soon as I found out what a violin was, and that a violinist played the violin, I went around telling everyone I met that I was a violinist — forcing my parents to eventually get me a violin and some lessons! It was meant to be for sure!

When did you first work with Silkroad? What did you work on?

My first project with Silkroad was in the fall of 2018. The group was in its last year of a residency at The College of the Holy Cross and the collaboration was really meaningful for me. The group welcomed me in so openly and asked me to bring my own music to the table — which felt remarkable because I was brand spanking new and they were interested in knowing where I was coming from. We had a great time speaking on our philosophies behind music and healing and what we feel important in our own lives. It was such a warm group of people that were really working towards seeing each other as we are. A particular moment stood out when we did some free improvisation during a performance, leading into my piece written for Aiyana Jones (the 7-year-old who was killed by Detroit Police during a no-knock warrant raid on a home that turned out to be the wrong address for the person they were looking for) and her parents, for whom justice never came but for 5 years later in the form of a check from the city of Detroit (a shameful situation that I didn't want to forget and needed to highlight for people who had no idea that this had happened and happens all the time). The group took that story in and then poured themselves into the music, making it all the more meaningful for me and, I think (hope) for the students at the College. I stand in gratitude for that experience and the opportunity to connect with those extraordinary people.

What is your favorite memory while with Silkroad?

The above, and also workshopping, recording, and performing Osvaldo Golijov's Falling Out of Time. Two things about that tour really stand out: the first is a talk Osvaldo did, explaining where the piece came from that ended with the Ensemble playing excerpts from the piece. After soaking in the weight and beauty of the composers intent, and the story of the same name, written by David Grossman — and inspiration for this work — we were all so moved and in tears by the end of it. I don't know that I've ever felt so connected with a group of musicians. I remember looking to my left and seeing my insides reflected back at me in the tears in cellist Karen Ouzounian's eyes, and then looking to my right and seeing the same in violinist Johnny Gandelsman's eyes and really feeling like something special had just transpired. My second other favorite memory from that tour was recording live performances of the piece on the stage at the Barns at Wolf Trap. More magic — with the musicians, with the audience, and on that very special stage. There's such a rich vibe in that venue and on those grounds. It really felt like l was living the dream, you know?

Here & Now co-host Robin Youn joined Osvaldo Golijov for an immersive conversation about Falling Out of Time with excerpts of the work performed by the Silkroad Ensemble.

What makes you excited or inspires you as an artist? What kind of projects do you love working on?

I'm a huge fan of and believer in free improvisation and have been — over the past 10 years or so — really delving into Conduction (a system of hand signals and gestures created by the great Butch Morris in order to facilitate improvisation by large groups of sound-makers) — applying it to my compositions and educational workshops. That's the stuff that makes me feel really alive and truly rooted in my own creativity. It's scary as hell to stand up in front of an orchestra, the audience to my back, with no game plan to lean on and create something out of the blue. But it is also really affirming to get to the other side of the in-the-moment creation. It serves as a rich wellspring for my written creations to come from.

What kind of projects have you been working on? What can we expect in the coming months/year?

I guess there are a few things brewing but I've got an ongoing project that I've been calling the "Sankofa Project". Sankofa is a Ghanaian word that literally translates to "go back and get it," and deals with the concept of looking backward to understand how to move forward. I am exploring that concept through re-imaginings of so-called "Slave Songs," as well as freedom songs and my own versions of what I'm calling "Modern-day Protest" Songs. I’ve also been really fascinated with the work of Butch Morris and was able to work with him on and off for about 10 years before he died. I’ve since adopted his system of Conduction (conducted improvisation) and work that into almost every project or composition of mine. I plan to do a large-scale Conduction project sometime in the near future — or as soon as the pandemic and/or vaccine availability will allow.

What are you listening to these days?

Well, to be honest, I've been listening to a LOT of podcasts lately, haha! The Daily (from the New York Times) is a staple for me, as is Pod Save America, and Preet Bharara's Cafe Insider. Analysis of the news from the perspective of good journalism, people who have worked in the White House, and from a legal standpoint has really kept me sane over the past four years. But over the holiday season, I finally sat down and watched Beyonce's gorgeous epic music film Black Is King and became obsessed with the soundtrack (The Gift) — all of it loosely based on the story of the The Lion King and so full of pride (no pun intended!) and celebration of the many popular musics of Africa and Black America. Plus, inspirational lyrics kept me dancing! I shared it with my niece and I have to say, there's nothing really much sweeter than hearing an 8-year-old girl sing "Brown Skin Girl, your skin just like pearls, the best thing in the world! I'll never trade you for anybody else..." 🥰 Other things that I've been digging lately (by no means a comprehensive list!): Planetary Candidate (Michi Wiancko), Parts (Ohmme), and also Truth and Soul (Fishbone) have also found their way back into my recent playlist. This is just a snapshot of what I'm into these days. Ask me tomorrow and it will almost certainly be a different list!

Originally aired on August 4, 2020 - a solo electro-acoustic improvisation for the series All Together Now.

What advice would you give to a young musician reading this?

Do things you are scared to do. Also, put as much effort into other parts of your life as you do your music: it can only inform your art more. Put down your instrument/practice and pick up a physical activity that makes you feel like a superhero: martial arts, dancing, fencing, yoga, running...whatever makes you feel good! We spend so much time in our heads and hands — not much time in our whole bodies. Keep the energy flowing through your whole body and it'll refresh your mind, spirit, creativity, etc... Also, I think it is of utmost importance to practice mindful meditation (you can start small — set a timer for 30 seconds and sit quietly — listening to your body and thoughts, while practicing non-judgment, no matter what comes to mind) every day. Lastly, as a musician, no matter what style or genre of music you play, it is invaluable to explore free improvisation. You learn so much about your strengths and weaknesses, the things you like, the habits you tend toward. There's so much to learn and when you figure out what it is that you have to offer that is unique to you, you'll find your undeniable voice, and likely stand out in a sea of people who often are trying to sound like someone else. Being rooted in “self” is a powerful and indispensable tool!

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I'm super excited to announce that I'm part of the 2021 cohort of United States Artists along with a most amazing group of individuals, some of whom I've admired for years (Wadada Leo Smith! Kidd Jordan! My musical sister, the amazing Tomeka Reid!), and others I'm so excited to find out more about. After a truly soul-crushing year of unrelenting bad news, the loss of work (work that is so tied to my core Self, the lack of which left me feeling unmoored, like so many of my performing friends and family), so much death at the hands of an incompetent federal administration, and the continued murder of my Black brothers and sisters at the hands of those charged with protecting us — the demoralizing nature of it all highlighted by well-meaning folks coming forward to say how unaware they had been (though many of us have been screaming about it for decades)... the news came from United States Artists and made me feel like the work I've been doing to bring a little bit of light into the world is actually being felt. I can't express how grateful I am for that — I'm really looking forward to continuing to make music, for myself and with the amazing artists at Silkroad (with whom I've been cooking up some fun plans, virtual and in-person)! The future feels bright indeed. :)

Silkroad’s Artist Spotlight is a series designed to feature and celebrate the incredible talent of Silkroad’s artistic collective. Each month we will feature a new artist and share an interview about their current projects, inspiration, work with Silkroad, and more!