Silk Road creates music with a very new sound based on solid traditional Chinese music and interpretive technique. Bold, colourful arrangements combine pipa (Chinese lute) played by Qiu Xia He, ruan (Chinese guitar) played by Zhi Min Yu, and guitar, oud and percussion played by Andre Thibault. Instrumental
virtuosity gives scope for superb singing. Willy Miles, a Vancouver opera sensation, sings in English. Feng Jun Wang, trained in the Beijing Opera, sings in Mandarin. Each draws on a great theatrical tradition and rigorous vocal training. Together, they and their fellow musicians give the performances all the beauty of the Chinese folk tradition and plenty of Western showmanship.

Silk Road Music is one of the few Chinese touring ensembles in North America to have performed at all the major festivals in Canada. Its music has been featured on CBC’s Asian music compilation, and by the Philadelphia Museum, Whitefish Theater in Montana, Seattle Asian Museum, the BBC international recital in the UK, Montral Jazz Festival, Festival De Quebec,Kentucky Arts Centre and Charlotte, N.C. Throughout its travels, Silk Road Music has realized the potential of music as both the expression of a culture and a powerful link between cultures. Silk Road’s audiences have gained a greater understanding for Chinese music, for the music of their own traditions, and for the energy that results when cultures eagerly try to learn from one another.

PRESS INFO & hi-res publicity images of Silk Road Music (full troupe)

RECORDINGS by Silk Road Music