The famous group, the Silkroad Ensemble is coming to Pittsburgh to perform at the Byham Theater!

Kaoru Watanabe, master Japanese flute shinobue and taiko drum player, joined Jim Cunningham by phone from George Mason University to speak about the Silkroad Ensemble concert.

He describes the wide ranging program and talks about his experience playing with jazz pianist Jason Moran and tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain. He also talks about his work with the Kodo ensemble in Pittsburgh.

Kaoru describes his childhood growing up in St. Louis. His parents played violin and harp in the St. Louis Symphony for 44 years. Kaoru followed in their footsteps in the classical music world and graduated from the Manhattan School of Music. Kaoru grew up listening to Leonard Slatkin and many other great conductors at the St. Louis Symphony.

He highlights the founding of the Ensemble by Yo-Yo Ma, and the philosophy behind the creation. He also explains the combination of cultures found along the Silk Route.

You can join the Silkroad Ensemble at the Byham Theater on Monday, January 27th at 7:30 pm.
Visit https://trustarts.org/production/98081/silkroad-ensemble-percussion-all-stars to learn more and find tickets.