I heard an interview with cellist Yo-yo Ma yesterday on National Public Radio. He was discussing how the clash of cultures can bring forth a global renaissance. But such a thing is possible, he said “Only if we work at it.”

Ma, an internationally reknowned musician, seems to offer a challenge not just to musicians, but to all artists during the current conflict between East and West. At the endings of centuries, great changes are observed. At the endings of milleniums, this phenomenon is even more pronounced. Here at the beginning of this millenium, a paradigm shift has already begun.

Ma's dedication to his belief in reaching out across boundaries is exemplified through the Silk Road Project. The Silk Road Project, an initiative aimed at exploring cross-cultural influences among and between the lands comprising the legendary Silk Road and the West, was launched in July 2001 with an ambitious program of concerts, festivals and educational outreach activities in North America, Europe and Asia. In coordination with a distinguished team of scholars, musicians and artists from around the world, the Silk Road Project is designed to illuminate the historical contributions of the Silk Road, support innovative collaborations among artists from the East and West, and resituate classical music within a broader global context.

If one goes to the CSO website, one may hear some music recorded by the Silk Road Ensemble. While you are listening to the music from around the world, think. What will you do to help to bring about the New Renaissance?

Pictured is the morin khuur from Mongolia. Its distinctive pegbox is always carved with a horse's head. Photo reproduced with kind permission. ©2001Cylla von Tiedemann