Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project

World renowned, Grammy-winning, and Chinese American usually aren’t found in the same sentence. And yet, Yo-Yo Ma is all of these. Born on October 7, 1955 in Paris, Yo-Yo Ma was musically influenced, debatably from birth, by his Violinist and Music Professor father and Singer mother. At the remarkably young age of 4, Yo-Yo Ma was already demonstrating excellence as a Cellist. By the time he was 7 years of age, Yo-Yo Ma was performing in front of large audiences. Yo-Yo Ma even performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall at the tender age of 9. Yo-Yo Ma experienced continued success throughout his teenage and adult life – attending Juilliard School of Music, playing under the direction of esteemed conductors, graduating from Harvard University, performing with internationally acclaimed orchestras and writing musical scores for ground-breaking movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha.

Graduating from Harvard University with an Anthropology, Yo-Yo Ma always had an interest in other cultures. Even as a Chinese-American born in Paris, Yo-Yo Ma, understood the dichotomy of the East and West cultures. In 1998, Yo-Yo Ma turned his passion into action, by founding the Silk Road Project. This non-profit organization’s goal is suitably named after the historical trade routes that used to connect and spread cultures. Inspired by the legacy of the Silk Road, Yo-Yo Ma created the Silk Road Project to bring cultural awareness and help bridge the widening cultural gap.

“Every time I open a newspaper, I am reminded that we live in a world where we can no longer afford not to know our neighbors.” - Yo-Yo Ma

The Silk Road Project employs an ensemble of over 60 international performers and composers to tour globally. This ensemble demonstrates the cultural leaps that Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble makes. As seen in the video below, one can find an eclectic mix of traditional instruments from various cultures coming together to create one harmonious sound. The ensemble has performed in over 29 countries and has recorded 5 successful albums.

The Silk Road Project also spreads their cultural values through Education. The Silk Road Connect integrates themes of cultural connections, awareness and experience to under privileged New York City youth ranging from middle school to high school. Members of the Silk Road Ensemble even visit to teach young children music. As for higher education, many members of the ensemble teach at Rhode Island School of Design (where the project was first founded) and Harvard University (where the Project is currently based).

The Silk Road Project is currently in it's 12th successful year and there is no doubt that it will see continued success.

Despite all his cultural contributions, Yo-Yo Ma admits that he was teased for his non-English name and that to this day, people still come up with new jokes about it.