Performers:
Silk Road Music 絲綢之路音樂團
Qiu Xia He 何秋霞: Pipa 琵琶，Singing 歌唱, 舞蹈 Dance
Yun Song: 宋雲: Erhu 二胡
Zhi Min Yu 于志敏：Ruan 阮
Zhong Xi Wu 吳忠喜： Suona 嗩吶, Sheng 笙
André Thibault: Percussion 打擊樂, Oud 烏特, Guitar吉他

Production:
Roots and Shoots
The Chan Center for the Performing Arts

1.Happiness! 喜洋洋 Traditional
2.Three and Six 三六 Traditional
3.Xin Jiang Dance 新疆舞 Traditional
4.Dawuer’s Spring 达乌尔春天 Arr. by Fu Tang
5.Horse Race 賽馬 By Hai Huai Huang
6.Feng Yang Flower Drum Song 鳳陽花鼓 Traditional

Silk Road Music was formed in 1991 by pipa player Qiu Xia He, who came to Canada in 1989 to play the Vancouver Folk Music Festival as part of a touring ensemble from China. She stayed in Canada and has become a vibrant addition to the Vancouver Music scene. Joined by her husband Andre Thibault, a multi instrumentalist, they have performed to audiences from festivals to symphony halls and garnered fantastic reviews for their virtuosic skills and artistry.

As a leading Canadian ensemble, Silk Road Music’s goal has always been to develop new expressions for intercultural music, featuring compositions that enhance the understanding of Chinese and world culture. Its musicians explore and extend the range of the ancient pipa, Guitar, and percussion from classical Chinese to modern works of their own and other composers.

With each project, Silk Road Music works with special artists from around the world. All of them are well established in their own artistic practice. In this VSO Day celebration, it focuses on Chinese Music education. Featuring Qiu Xia He on pipa and vocals, Zhi Min Yu on ruan, Yun Song on erhu, Zhong Xi Wu on suona and sheng, and Andre Thibault on guitar, lute and percussion.

In 30 years of traveling and performing, Silk Road Music has appeared in a wide range of venues, including the Montreal International Jazz Festival, a BBC recital in England, French Festivals,African,Thai and hundreds of schools and universities across North America, and community concert series around the world. It has been featured with a few symphony orchestras including the Vancouver Symphony,Calgary and Victoria. A sold-out event “Thread” with VICO. As members of the AU Ensemble, they toured in Amsterdam and Japan in 2018. 2019, they were featured in Brussels with the Selini String Quartet, playing contemporary music by Mark Armanini who has been writing music for the Pipa for 30yrs, including a Pipa Concerto that was performed and recorded in Prague in 1997.

The latest digital concerts are with Early Music Vancouver, Uzume Taiko, VICO, Bob Bossin, and the Chan Center for the Performing Arts.

Silk Road Music offers 3 different programs:
Multicultural music in schools: English, French, Spanish and Chinese. 60min
Concerts in community, arts centres and concert halls. 2 X 45mints
University and college workshops: Music Around the World.