Famous pipa player Wu Man and the Silk Road music masters will create an innovative world of cross-cultural music on September 29.Shake off the sand and camel bells as you move from west to east; open your heart to welcome the new and multi-style music waiting for you to enjoy!

Activity Information

Theme

Melody of the Silk Road, Resonance of World Music — Silk Road Music Style  Introduction and Performance

Time

19:30-21:0019:30-21:00, September 29th 2024 (Sunday)

Venue

The Concert Hall of Run Run Shaw International Conference Centre

Language

Chinese、English

Format

Performance + Sharing

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Profile of the Guests
 

Wu Man (Pipa)

Wu Man is an internationally renowned pipa virtuoso and a prominent figure in cross-genre music and cross-cultural exchanges. She is recognized as the first Chinese contemporary traditional instrumentalist to achieve global influence. Wu Man was the winner of the 59th Grammy Award for "Best World Music Album" and has been nominated seven times for both "Best Instrumental Performance" and "Best World Music." Additionally, she is a key founding member of the internationally acclaimed Silkroad Ensemble, initiated by Yo-Yo Ma.

Sanubar Tursun (Dutar)

Born into a renowned musical family in Yili, Xinjiang, Sanubar Tursun is celebrated as the "Queen of Uyghur Singers." From a young age, she mastered the Mukam, folk songs, and the dutar. Her interpretations of Yili folk songs are characterized by their intense and grandiose style.

Basel Rajoub (Saxophone/Duclar/Tárogató）

Syrian composer and saxophonist Basel Rajoub integrates the rich melodic and rhythmic nuances of Middle Eastern music into his saxophone performances, creating a distinctive sound. A graduate of the Damascus High Institute of Music, Rajoub's compositions explore the unique microtonal intervals of Middle Eastern music.

Abbos Kosimov (Frame drums)

A native of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Abbos Kosimov is a celebrated doira (frame drum) player and a disciple of the Uzbek master Tuychi Inogomov. Kosimov has won numerous awards and founded his own school of doira in 1994.

Sirojiddin Juraev (Dutar/Tanbur/Sato)

Raised in a bilingual Tajik-Uzbek environment in northern Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Juraev was immersed in music from a young age, learning the dutar, tanbur, and sato. Known for his compositions that emerged spontaneously, as if from a dream, Juraev has been recognized as a composer by his peers and mentors.

Jasser Haj Youssef (Viola/Viola d’amore)

Jasser Haj Youssef was born in Monastir, Tunisia and studied both classical European and Arabic music (maqām) from an early age. His first instrument was the violin. Later, he began playing the Baroque viola d’amore, known for its rich, resonant sound.

Feras Charestan (Qanun)

Feras Charestan, born in Al-Hasakeh, Syria, has dedicated his career to mastering the qanun, an ancient stringed instrument of the Middle East and Mediterranean. After studying at the Damascus High Institute of Music, he developed a unique performance style that has resonated widely.

Wu Man and the Silk Road Master Musicians

Wu Man and the Silk Road Master Musicians play new music inspired by old traditions. The six members of the band have diverse musical backgrounds and rich, complex musical journeys.Since its founding by the Aga Khan Music Programme in 2013, the programme has been dedicated to supporting contemporary expressions of musical heritage along the Silk Road. East and West, past and present, folk music, jazz, and classical music, whether Western or non-Western, merge here, nourishing these highly original works.While such a combination might seem whimsical or eccentric, these instruments have musical kinships tracing back to antiquity. The Silk Road stimulated the cultural diffusion of instruments such as the pipa, viola d’amore, zither, shawm, and drum, primarily from the eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Central Eurasia. In contrast, the saxophone, which was patented by Adolphe Sax in 1846, became the modern counterpart to these traditional instruments, contributing to musical diversity and innovation.The pipa, with its ancestry traced back to Central Asia, can be considered a distant relative of the dutar, a two-stringed long-necked lute beloved in the sedentary cultures of Central Asia, played masterfully by Tajik musician Sirojiddin Juraev. Similarly, the viola d’amore, associated with the Italian Baroque, is likely descended from the Middle Eastern rabab brought to medieval Andalusia by Arab conquerors. Tunisian violinist Jasser Haj Youssef’s delicate timbre on the viola d’amore creates a unique soundscape.Other members of AKMM bridge multiple musical worlds. Feras Charestan, a master performer on the qanun, rooted in ancient Mesopotamia, is equally at home with orchestral compositions and accompanying traditional muwashshah singers of Syria. On rhythm, frame drum virtuoso Abbos Kosimov excels not only with Central Asian performers but also alongside top rock, pop, jazz, and Hindustani classical musicians.Today, the members of AKMM, as teachers and workshop leaders, follow a shared belief: tradition can be a valuable compass for artistic exploration and creation, with inspiration drawn from the past but not constrained by it.

AKMM is a project of the Aga Khan Music Programme, whose mission is to foster the development of living musical heritage in societies across the world where Muslims have a significant presence. The Music Programme disseminates this work internationally through collaborations with exceptional-ly creative musicians, artists, educators, and arts presenters. The Music Programme’s collaboration with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings extends back to 2002 and includes the 10-volume CD-DVD anthology Music of Central Asia and the double CD The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan.