Silkroad Launches 2024 Global Musician Workshop & Expansion of Program to China

Silkroad has announced the continuation of its Global Musician Workshop (GMW) in the summer of 2024, including the first-ever international iteration of the program in Hangzhou, China presented in partnership with Zhejiang Conservatory of Music. For the fourth consecutive year, Silkroad also partners with New England Conservatory for the Boston-based GMW. The Boston program takes place August 4-10 and the Hangzhou program from August 26-31. The 2024 programs in both cities include professional development workshops and a multi-night Performance Festival featuring Silkroad artists, conservatory faculty, special guests, and GMW participants. Performances are open to the public; details are available at silkroad.org/gmw.

GMW Boston received the largest number of applicants in the program’s history, welcoming 68 musicians selected from a pool of 218 applicants. Participants represent 28 countries and 32 instruments—more than in any previous year. Tuition to participate in GMW Boston is underwritten by Silkroad, and the program is directed by Silkroad cellist Mike Block.

"For our eighth year of GMW Boston, we received a record number of applications from a record number of countries,” said Block. “It’s truly a stunning experience for me to sift through the applications, learn about all of these amazing musicians, and watch videos of their diverse musical gifts. When the faculty and participants finally get to play together in-person this August, the experience will be transformational. Music is an incredible tool to learn about the world around us and feel connected to other people from different backgrounds. Our collaborative process and creative explorations also provide a mirror for our participants to learn more about who they are, both as people and as artists. Understanding ourselves better, and how we can contribute to the world around us, is a core element of the GMW experience.”

Silkroad pipa player Wu Man, who has served on the GMW faculty since its inception and also teaches at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, spearheaded the launch of GMW Hangzhou. The partnership with Zhejiang Conservatory was made official last month at the 14th Annual United States-China Tourism Leadership Summit in Xi’An, where Silkroad Executive Director Ben Hartley and Board of Directors Chair Boris Dolgonos signed a three-year MoU in the presence of government, culture, and tourism leaders from China and the U.S. The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York has also provided assistance in the process. Their combined efforts and generous support are allowing Silkroad to expand GMW beyond the United States for the first time since its start in 2015.

Wu Man shared, “I am excited that, this summer, we have a new partnership with Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and will present a Global Musician Workshop in my home country China in addition to Boston. Every year, I look forward to working with the talented musicians from around the globe who come together to exchange their cultural and musical traditions. My hope is that through classes, talks, collaboration, and performance, they will make meaningful connections and have a deeper appreciation and understanding of all the world's musical styles.”

Like in Boston, the program in Hangzhou is open to participants from around the globe; workshops and sessions will be held in English with Chinese translators on site. For this pilot year, 30 participants from three different countries were selected from a pool of 66 applicants representing 11 countries. GMW Hangzhou is co-directed by Wu Man and Block.

The faculty leading a varied set of sessions at GMW Boston—in addition to Block and Wu Man—includes Silkroad artists Edward Pérez and Balla Kouyaté and guest artists Jamey Haddad, Courtney Hartman, Abeer Nehme, and Kala Ramnath. The GMW Hangzhou faculty includes Block, Wu Man, Dong-Won Kim, Bivakar Choudhury, Pérez, and Ricardo Vogt. This group of all-star faculty artists represents a wide range of cultural backgrounds and musical traditions.

Participants in both GMW Boston and GMW Hangzhou will take part in faculty-led repertoire and arranging workshops; elective classes covering techniques, concepts, and styles of genres from around the globe; nightly jam sessions and open mic nights; and community-building activities. All sessions will focus on music-making through cross-cultural collaboration, modeling the philosophy that inspired the creation of the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble.

In addition to their professional development work, participants will give public performances as part of the GMW Performance Festival, taking place August 6-10 in Boston and August 27 and 30-31 in Hangzhou. In Boston, the Festival comprises an opening concert by GMW faculty on August 6, followed by daily concerts from August 7-10 featuring the program’s participants alongside faculty members. All GMW Boston performances take place at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall. In Hangzhou, the opening concert by GMW faculty takes place on August 27, with subsequent participant concerts on August 30 and 31. All GMW Hangzhou performances will be held at the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music’s Standard Concert Hall. 

For more information about the 2024 Global Musician Workshop programs and Performance Festival concerts in Boston and Hangzhou, please visitsilkroad.org/gmw.

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