The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

The only way to change the world is to make a little noise

Over the past 15 years, an extraordinary group of musicians has come together to celebrate the universal power of music. Named for the ancient trade route linking Asia, Africa and Europe, The Silk Road Ensemble, an international collective created by legendary cellist Yo—Yo Ma, exemplifies music’s ability to blur international boundaries, blend disparate cultures and inspire hope for artist and audience. The Music of Strangers, the latest film from the creators of the Oscar—winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, and the critically—acclaimed Best of Enemies follows an ever—changing lineup of performers drawn from the ensemble’s more than 50 instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they gather in locations across the world, exploring the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution.

Blending performance footage, personal interviews and archival film, director Morgan Neville and producer Caitrin Rogers focus on the journeys of a small group of Silk Road Ensemble mainstays from across the globe to create an intensely personal chronicle of passion, talent and sacrifice. Through these moving individual stories, the filmmakers paint a vivid portrait of a bold musical experiment and a global search for the ties that bind.