Performances + Events
For the fourth consecutive year, New England Conservatory will partner with Silkroad for the continuation of its Global Musician Workshop (GMW) in Boston from August 4-10. Silkroad also introduces the first-ever international iteration of the program in Hangzhou, China, presented in partnership with Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, from August 26-31.
The 2024 programs in both cities include professional development workshops and a multi-night Performance Festival featuring Silkroad artists, conservatory faculty, special guests, and GMW participants. Performances are open to the public, and details are available at silkroad.org/gmw.
Hosted on NEC’s campus, GMW Boston received the largest number of applicants in the program’s history, welcoming 68 musicians selected from a pool of 218 applicants. Participants represent 28 countries and 32 instruments—more than in any previous year. Tuition to participate in GMW Boston is underwritten by Silkroad, and the program is directed by Silkroad cellist and NEC Contemporary Musical Arts faculty member Mike Block.
“For our eighth year of GMW Boston, we received a record number of applications from a record number of countries,” said Block. “It’s truly a stunning experience for me to sift through the applications, learn about all of these amazing musicians, and watch videos of their diverse musical gifts. When the faculty and participants finally get to play together in-person this August, the experience will be transformational. Music is an incredible tool to learn about the world around us and feel connected to other people from different backgrounds. Our collaborative process and creative explorations also provide a mirror for our participants to learn more about who they are, both as people and as artists. Understanding ourselves better, and how we can contribute to the world around us, is a core element of the GMW experience.”
The faculty leading a varied set of sessions at GMW Boston—in addition to Block and Wu Man—includes Silkroad artists Edward Pérez and Balla Kouyaté and guest artists Jamey Haddad, Courtney Hartman, Abeer Nehme, and Kala Ramnath. The GMW Hangzhou faculty includes Block, Wu Man, Dong-Won Kim, Bivakar Choudhury, Pérez, and Ricardo Vogt. This group of all-star faculty artists represents a wide range of cultural backgrounds and musical traditions.
Participants in both GMW Boston and GMW Hangzhou will take part in faculty-led repertoire and arranging workshops; elective classes covering techniques, concepts, and styles of genres from around the globe; nightly jam sessions and open mic nights; and community-building activities. All sessions will focus on music-making through cross-cultural collaboration, modeling the philosophy that inspired the creation of the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble.
In addition to their professional development work, participants will give public performances as part of the GMW Performance Festival, taking place August 6-10 in Boston and August 27 and 30-31 in Hangzhou. In Boston, the Festival comprises an opening concert by GMW faculty on August 6, followed by daily concerts from August 7-10 featuring the program’s participants alongside faculty members. All GMW Boston performances take place at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall.
For more information about the 2024 Global Musician Workshop programs and Performance Festival concerts in Boston and Hangzhou, please visit silkroad.org/gmw.
2024 GMW Boston Performance Festival
Tuesday, August 6-Saturday, August 10 at 8 p.m. EDT nightly
New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
Tickets: $25 Faculty Concert, $15 Participant Concerts, $50 All-Inclusive Five-Day Pass
Silkroad’s award-winning GMW Faculty and Participants showcase new arrangements of music from around the globe! See the names, instruments, and country of origin for all GMW Boston participants.
