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Yo-Yo Ma and Friends to perform in world-premiere collaboration at IU

IU Auditorium is first stop on global tour for multicultural music ensemble

• Oct. 27, 2015

WHAT: "Musical Perspectives on the Cultures of BRIC: a Silkroad Collaboration"
WHEN: 8 p.m. Nov. 11
WHERE: IU Auditorium
TICKETS: $20 to $41 for IU Bloomington students with a valid ID and $38 to $62 for the general public, on sale now. Individual tickets may be purchased online at IUAuditorium.com, in person at the IU Auditorium Box Office, as well as through Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 800-745-3000. The IU Auditorium Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- IU Auditorium will host the world-premiere performance of Yo-Yo Ma's newest collaborative concert series, "Musical Perspectives on the Cultures of BRIC: a Silkroad Collaboration" at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11.

"Musical Perspectives" features Ma, a world-renowned cellist, and a group of musicians with whom he has explored cultural and economic influences on the musical landscapes of BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia, India and China. Many of the collaborating musicians hail from these nations.

The performance at IU Auditorium will be the first time Ma, Kathryn Scott, Sérgio and Odair Assad, Johnny Gandelsman, Wu Tong and Sandeep Das will present the BRIC concert. The musicians will be arriving in Bloomington in advance to rehearse and prepare not only for the IU Auditorium performance but all of the remaining dates on their concert tour.

In economics, BRIC refers to the "Big Four" countries, which are all in similar stages of new economic development. This change in economic status causes an unusual conflict of aligning rich cultural history and tradition with modern aesthetics. The BRIC concert series seeks to expand upon those concepts through musical expression involving instruments and musicians from each of these countries, highlighting the connectivity and possible integration of these cultures.

The ensemble features the talents of seven world-renowned musicians:

• Sérgio and Odair Assad, guitar -- These Brazilian brothers regularly tour together and strive to expand the creation and performance of guitar duets. They have been featured on several of Ma's Grammy Award-winning albums.
• Johnny Gandelsman, violin -- Russian composer Gandelsman is the first violinist of the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, an ensemble that features music from various genres. All four members of Brooklyn Rider are regular participants in Ma's Silkroad Ensemble.
• Wu Tong, sheng -- This Chinese composer and performer's choice for this ensemble is the sheng, a traditional Chinese wind instrument. The sheng is a mouth organ with 17 pipes made of bamboo or metal extending from its base. The arrangement of these pipes symbolizes the folded wings of the fabled phoenix.
• Sandeep Das, tabla -- The Indian percussionist will introduce the audience to the tabla, a pair of traditional Indian drums that can make innumerable different pitches. Das has been nominated for two Grammys, including one with the Silkroad Ensemble.
• Kathryn Stott, piano -- Stott is from England and has been Ma's accompanist and collaborator since 1985, long before the start of the Silkroad Project. Two of their collaborated albums have won Grammy Awards.
• Yo-Yo Ma, cello -- Ma was born in France to Chinese parents and raised in the United States. He represents fusion of many cultures, much like his music. Ma has recorded more than 90 albums, 18 of which have won Grammy Awards. His playing has been featured in many movies, notably in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Memoirs of a Geisha." Ma is also a Peace Ambassador with the U.N. and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

In addition to their performance at the IU Auditorium, Ma and members of the ensemble will be leading a talk for students at the IU School of Global and International Studies on the links between culture, economics and the arts. The one-hour program, tentatively titled "Art for Life's Sake," will incorporate both a speech and part of the program for the IU Auditorium concert.

"Hosting Mr. Ma and his fellow musicians as part of our 75th anniversary season is truly special," said Doug Booher, director of IU Auditorium. "Yo-Yo Ma is a longtime friend of the auditorium and represents our mission of bringing world-class talent to Bloomington. It is an enormous honor to be the first venue in the world to present his new collaborative concert series, and we could not be more pleased to provide Bloomington with this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is also a timely presentation, as it echoes the university's commitment to the education of world cultures, as we have seen with the opening of the IU School of Global and International Studies."

More information on "Musical Perspectives on the Cultures of BRIC" and the rest of the 75th anniversary season appears on IUauditorium.com. The website features video clips and a selection of songs from this season's performances, in addition to a direct link to the IU Auditorium Facebook and Twitter pages, whose members receive exclusive benefits throughout the year.

"Musical Perspectives" at IU Auditorium is sponsored by Indiana University Office of the President and WFIU Public Radio. IU Auditorium's 2015-16 season is presented by Curry Auto Center, The Herald-Times, B97 Radio and French Lick Resort.

Related Links

• IU Auditorium marks 75 years with 2015-16 season