The Sound of Silk: Morgan Neville's New Documentary on Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble

Sure, everyone's talking about the Oscars, but color Classicalite more impressed about this upcoming film. Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) is directing The Sound of Silk, a new documentary following the Silk Road Ensemble, which features world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

"The Sound of Silk will serve as a lens for larger questions about cultural identity in a global society, and the potential for individuals to act as catalysts for change," says Neville. "Like the ancient Silk Road itself, The Sound of Silk will make the foreign familiar while challenging long-held notions of identity and our place in the world."

Certainly the cultural traditions that encompass the Silk Road are infused within the ensemble. Thus, the mission of the project that brought Ma and his associates together. One may say that musical tradition is the life-blood of The Silk Road Project (SRP).

The SRP, coined and inspired by the historic Silk Road, is an organization that aims at connecting musicians from around the world. Offering them a new platform to unite and compose, Ma's project promotes innovation and learning across the arts.

Focusing on [the Silk Road Ensemble] musicians, their music and their unique mode of cultural exchange, as Neville says further, "The Sound of Silk captures a vibrant world of cross-cultural collaboration, focusing on what we share...rather than what divides us."

Morgan Neville's film is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Pershing Square. And while a release date has not yet been confirmed, let's hope the Academy has their eyes on this one.