Yo-Yo Ma to present ensemble

Acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform with the Silk Road Ensemble at 8 p.m. Monday at the IU Auditorium.

Formed by Ma in 2000, the Silk Road Ensemble was inspired by trade routes that ran through Eurasia 2,000 years ago. Ma designed the group to promote sharing and learning across cultural boundaries through its music.

The ensemble consists of musicians and artists from more than 20 countries across the world. The various cultures members bring to the group allow them to create innovative music and multimedia pieces.

Although tonight’s performance will be the Silk Road Ensemble’s premiere in Bloomington, Ma has performed solo concerts at IU before, said Maria Talbert, associate director of the IU Auditorium.
 
“Based on the overwhelming response to Yo-Yo Ma’s solo recital here in 2010, we knew that this would be a performance our audience would love to see,” Talbert said.

Talbert said Bloomington’s artsy reputation and the community’s long-time support of the creative arts has helped this performance gain momentum.

“With the multicultural landscape of IU and Bloomington, the strong music tradition at IU and the unceasing support of this tradition from the community, this performance is one that has drawn tremendous support,”  she said.

Talbert said the group’s performance this evening should be an eclectic, inspiring and captivating event for all in attendance, especially those with an appreciation for music.
 
“It will be a feast for the ears as so many musical styles and a variety of instruments, unique to each performer’s country, will be featured,” she said.

As of Sunday afternoon, the event is sold out.