ABOUT GMW

SILKROAD’S
GLOBAL MUSICIAN WORKSHOP

“I finally found the musical space I’ve believed in for so long. We were all taken outside of our comfort zones and into the musical worlds and traditions of others….I got to live, breathe and walk music again.”

— GMW 2023 participant

Silkroad's Global Musician Workshop (GMW) is a musician training program modeled after the genesis of the Silkroad Ensemble, bringing together artists from around the globe for a week of cross-cultural musical collaboration. This experience is led by a group of all-star faculty artists, including musicians from the Silkroad Ensemble and their colleagues, teaching styles of music that represent a wide range of backgrounds and traditions. This week-long program includes faculty-led bands of diverse participants, group workshops that teach tunes from around the world, along with topic-based elective classes, nightly jam sessions, panel discussions, and a multi-night performance festival featuring both faculty and participants!

GMW is open to musicians and educators ages 18+ from any musical background — university students, professional and amateur performers, teachers, and teaching artists — with backgrounds in classical, jazz, folk, and traditional styles.

We believe it’s important to address inequitable behavior that disproportionately hurts the most marginalized people in society – including people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ people. We believe that these communities must be centered in the work we do, and we strongly encourage applications from people with these identities or who are members of other marginalized communities.

“This was one of the most musically enriching weeks I have ever had, and I am so grateful that something like this exists! It was an invaluable experience that I am going to take with me to my own musical life and can’t wait to share!”

– GMW 2022 Participant

WHAT DOES GMW LOOK LIKE?

BAND REHEARSALS

Band Rehearsals are be centered around learning repertoire from a specific culture or style, led by GMW faculty. Participants will perform and arrange music in small bands together with faculty, to be performed as part of the GMW Performance Festival.

WORKSHOPS

Workshops, led by GMW Faculty, offer participants the opportunity to dive deeper into the style, accompaniment, arrangement, and performance considerations of a genre or musical tradition. Multiple workshops are offered so that participants can self select which session most resonates with them.

ELECTIVE CLASSES

Elective Classes, led by GMW participants, give participants the opportunity to learn from their colleagues in the program, freely selecting between numerous class offerings. Each class follows a specific topic which may include techniques, concepts, styles, or even additional repertoire. Previous examples include: Tune Writing, Afro-Peruvian Festejo, Khaleeji Music 101, Makams and Scales in Turkish Music, Persian Structure for Modal Improvisation, and so much more!

NIGHTLY JAM SESSIONS

Nightly Jam Sessions are often themed around a specific musical genre or cultural. All participants are welcome and encouraged to participate in the jam sessions which often go late into the night!

COMMUNITY MEETINGS

Community Meetings bring together all GMW participants to share announcements and updates, and also serve as an opportunity for GMW faculty to share their stories, experiences, and artistic journeys with participants.

OPEN MIC NIGHT

The Open Mic Night is an informal, welcoming space for participants to share their music with each other live.

GMW PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL

A series of concerts, the GMW Performance Festival starts with a faculty performance and is followed up by nightly concerts featuring the GMW participant bands.

QUESTIONS?

Email us at gmw@silkroad.org

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