Now celebrating its 10th Anniversary Season, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County opens it stellar 2015-16 KNIGHT MASTERWORKS SEASON with MUSICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE CULTURES OF BRIC, A Silkroad Collaboration boasting the surprise and exuberance of diverse and inspiring musical traditions from Brazil, Russia, India and China, November 15, 2015 at 8 p.m. in the Knight Concert Hall. Tickets range from $50-$150* and may be purchased through the Adrienne Arsht Center Box Office by calling (305) 949-6722 or online at www.arshtcenter.org.
BRIC brings together longtime collaborators and friends YO-YO MA, cellist and artistic director of SILKROAD, pianist KATHRYN STOTT, master guitarists SÉRGIO and ODAIR ASSAD, violinist JOHNNY GANDELSMAN, vocalist and sheng artist WU TONG, and tabla virtuoso SANDEEP DAS. These diverse and acclaimed musicians illuminate the traditions of BRIC’s four countries in one vast musical landscape. Diversity is the key, music the message. One of Yo-Yo Ma’s goals is to explore music as a means of communication and as a vehicle for the migration of ideas across a range of cultures throughout the world. BRIC brings to life this relationship through music.
In economics, BRIC refers to the Big Four countries deemed to be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. MUSICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE CULTURES OF BRIC at the Arsht Center brings together this international musical panorama with repertory including Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Trio No. 2 and Igor Stravinsky’s Chanson Russe, César Camargo’s Cristal, Wu Tong and Liu Lin’s version of the traditional Wine Madness as well as Zhao Jiping’s Moon Over Guan Mountains, Sandeep Das’s rendition of the traditional Indian Ekla Cholo Re, and Milton Nascimento’s Milagre dos Peixes, as well as Terry Riley’s Turning for violin, piano, and guitar.
“We have friendship, celebration, spirituality and romance all in our programs,” says YO-YO MA, “but from different points of view.”
“We are thrilled and proud to enrich the Arsht Center’s 10th season by shedding a light on the universality of music in the Knight Concert Hall with this 21st century perspective of musical treasures from Brazil, Russia, India and China,” said John Richard, president and CEO of the Adrienne Arsht Center. “This is a brilliant celebration for all of us, and a reaffirmation of our commitment to bring the best in the performing arts to our community.”
The multifaceted career of YO-YO MA is a testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Widely recognized as one of the finest cellists in history, he balances solo, chamber and orchestral work with unique projects such as Silkroad. His discography boasts more than 90 albums. He has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors.
KATHRYN STOTT is internationally recognized as one of Britain’s most versatile and imaginative musicians as well as one of the finest pianists before the public today. She has been performing and recording with Yo-Yo Ma for nearly 30 years, and together they regularly tour Europe, The United States, South America and the Far East.
The Grammy-winning Brazilian-born brothers SERGIO and ODAIR ASSAD have set the benchmark for guitarists all over the world through innovation, ingenuity and expression. With a repertory ranging from Bach and Rameau to Gershwin and Ginastera, their artistry also has inspired a wide range of composers to create music for them, including Astor Piazzolla and Terry Riley.
The son of a musical family in Moscow, by way of Israel, JOHNNY GANDELSMANcombines his classical violin training with a restless desire to reach beyond the traditional repertory. His unique artistry has been praised by The Boston Globe as possessing “a balletic lightness of touch and a sense of whimsy and imagination.” A frequent collaborator of Yo-Yo Ma, Gandelsman also has worked closely with such diverse artists as Mark Morris, Bono, David Byrne, and Osvaldo Golijov, as well as premiering works with the Silk Road Ensemble and Brooklyn Rider.
The versatile vocalist, composer and bawu virtuoso WU TONG graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in his native China in 1994 and has appeared as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. A founding vocalist of Lunhui (“Again”), he had the distinction of leading the first rock band to appear on Chinese television. In 2013, he premiered Zhao Lin’s Duo, a double concerto written for him and Yo-Yo Ma.
Grammy–nominated SANDEEP DAS is considered one of the world’s leading tablaplayers. His artistry has been celebrated from Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall to Petronas Hall in Malaysia. He has performed internationally with the Silk Road Ensemble since its founding in 2000, joining them for the BBC Proms in 2004 and 2009. He is the only Indian artist who performed in the opening ceremony of the Special Olympic Games in Shanghai.
FREE KNIGHT MASTERWORKS PRE-CONCERT TALKS presented by Steinway & Sons Miami
A free pre-concert lecture by a local music expert will be held in the Arsht Center’s Peacock Foundation Education Center (inside the Knight Concert Hall) at 7:00 p.m. prior to the concert.
TICKETS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Through the Center’s UTIX Program (arshtcenter.org/utix), full-time, degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate level college students can purchase $20 tickets to this and other select performances at the Center. Details are available at arshtcenter.org or by contacting the Arsht Center Box Office.
The 2015-2016 John S. and James L. Knight Masterworks Season is supported in part by Knight Foundation and Steinway Piano Gallery of Miami.