From the Chicago Sun-Times (link):
“Good things happen when you meet strangers,” says renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Today Ma, along with city officials and reps from dozens of Chicago cultural institutions, will announce a yearlong fine arts festival that organizers hope will bring folks of all sorts together — and create good things across the city.
The 250-event celebration is inspired by the Silk Road, an ancient trade route that connected the people of Asia with Europe from about 200 B.C. until the 14th Century, a conduit of not only goods but cultures.
…The Art Institute of Chicago will offer nearly 100 performances and programs. Art Institute president James Cuno said every department is contributing, “making it the largest unified program ever to be seen in the museum.” The museum-hosted performances will include dancers from the Natya Dance Theatre and world percussionist Doug Brush. Several galleries will be devoted to the Silk Road theme, from Tang sculptures to lavish silk robes.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will produce a number of special Silk Road inspired performances, among them the gender-bending Chinese opera, “The Butterfly Lovers.”
For more on the Silk Road Project in Chicago, see here.
