Silk Road Global Musican Workshop Showcase Concert

It’s August, so it’s time for the Silk Road Global Musician Workshop here in Boston. The workshop is organized by cellist Mike Block and takes place at New England Conservatory.

The workshop presents four concerts, the first by workshop faculty and the remaining three by the student participants. I have tickets for all four shows. Last night’s Global Musician Showcase, the faculty performance, was held at New England Conservatory’s beautiful Jordan Hall at 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, Massachusetts.

Pre-performance Mic Check at Jordan Hall

The performers were:

Mike Block, GMW Boston Director, cello
Eddie Barbash, saxophone
Hanneke Cassel, violin
Ara Dinkjian, oud
Jamey Haddad, percussion
Mei Han 韩梅, zheng
Balla Kouyaté, balafon
Veronica Robles, voice

Mike Block came out on crutches with a brace on his left knee. In his introduction, Mike said something was different about him: he had a fresh haircut. After a good laugh from the audience, Mike said he couldn’t straighten his left leg, so he would be forced to sit while playing the cello. Mike, of course, is the inventor of the Block Strap, which enables a cellist to stand (and dance) while playing.

Each musician played (or sang) a piece of their own, often supported by one or more of the other performers. The emphasis was on difference, not similarity, so we the audience were treated to a wide variety of musical styles, always with a lot of improvisation. The ninety-minute show ended with music led by Balla Kouyaté on the balafon, during which the student participants came up on the stage and danced and sang to the music while the audience stood and danced at their seats.

I have no concert photos because we were asked not to take photos or record the concert.