Silkroad's Global Musician Workshop Returns to DePauw, June 19-25

June 17, 2016

For the second consecutive year, the DePauw University School of Music is honored to host Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop for its seven-day stay at the Green Center for the Performing Arts, June 19–25. The workshop begins on Sunday following the arrival in Greencastle of more than 100 musicians from literally all over the globe.

Conceived by internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, honorary chair of the school’s 21st-Century Musician Initiative, as a musical “laboratory where tradition meets innovation,” the inaugural workshop was launched on the DePauw campus in 2015 with a mission to foster globally minded musicians engaged in learning from each other’s traditions and incorporating them into their own artistic voices.

Although the opportunity to participate in this year’s workshop as a musician has closed, several not-to-be-missed concerts and events will be open to the public to attend free of charge. The first of these performances will be the 7:30 p.m. Faculty-Artist Concert on Tuesday, June 21 in Kresge Auditorium by members of the famed Silk Road Ensemble and GMW guest faculty-artists.

Audiences will recall several of the musicians returning from last summer -- all chosen by Ma and considered the best in the world on their particular instruments: Sandeep Das (Indian tabla), Hadi Eldebek (Arabic oud), Balla Kouyate (Malian balafon), Edward Perez (Afro-Latin bass), and GMW director Mike Block (multi-style strings). Joining this year’s all-star faculty will be Seamus Blake (jazz saxophone), Gamin (Korean wind instruments), Maeve Gilchrist (Celtic harp/vocals), Bruce Molsky (old-time Appalachian fiddle), James Shipp (world percussion), Abigail Washburn (banjo/vocals mixing American/Chinese styles; pictured at right), and guest artist Béla Fleck (banjo; seen below left).

On Wednesday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m., Block will moderate “A Conversation with Béla Fleck,” also open to the public. Recognized as one of the greatest banjo players in the world having virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the instrument through his collaborations with artists across a range of genres, Fleck has won 16 Grammy Awards and been nominated over 30 times in more musical categories than anyone in Grammy history.

The conversation and Q&A with Fleck will cover topics such as: what does it mean to be a global musician in the 21st-century; what do you look for in a collaborator; what do you struggle with artistically; and what do you see as the greatest strengths and/or weaknesses of the younger generation of musicians. This free event is also open to the public. Read more in this previous story.

DePauw faculty cellist Eric Edberg will be among those participating as a student of world music this week. Catch him and the host of other outstanding global musicians in any three of the Global Musician Workshop’s faculty-led Participant Concerts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 23–25.

The five evening events that are free and open to the public will all take place at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, located within the Green Center for the Performing Arts at 605 S. College Avenue on the DePauw University campus. No tickets are needed.