Silkroad Ensemble

Company

FEATURING SILKROAD ARTISTS & BIOS

Mario Gotoh, viola

Joe Gramley, percussion

Kojiro Umezaki, shakuhachi

Sandeep Das, tabla

Mark Suter, percussion

Mike Block, cello

Joe Gramley, percussion

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

As a social-impact organization and home to a Grammy Award-winning musical ensemble, Silkroad works to inspire collaboration in innovative ways that add more equity and justice into the world through the power of the arts. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad reaches new heights through a commitment to new music, a re-sparked mission towards cultural collaboration, and a reinvigorated focus to high-quality arts education that both reflects its mission and the times in which we live.

Phoenix Rising takes a cross-section of Silkroad’s award-winning compositions and arrangements and re-imagines them for today. Keeping an eye on the past, Silkroad has also collaborated on new works that coalesce her unique worldview with the Ensemble’s collective experience during the pandemic. As such, Phoenix Rising will unveil new commissions by an amazing amalgamation of Silkroad artists.

NOTE FROM ENSEMBLE ABOUT PHOENIX RISING

From its ancient Greek origins to its indigenous roots in America, the phoenix is a global symbol for rebirth and renewal. Known for its fiery purple, orange, and gold feathers and crimson red breast, this mythical bird perishes in flames after setting itself on fire and then rises from the ashes after being born anew. We, as Silkroad, have been undergoing a transformation in our own right that will propel us to new heights of leveraging our music to create a more hopeful and inclusive world.

As we prepare to emerge from multiple pandemics that have caused devastating loss, we vision a peaceful and just future while still honoring the central tenets of our past; we offer to you Phoenix Rising: a collective grieving song and clarion call, uniting audiences through varied cultural experiences and challenging each of us to reflect on, celebrate, and activate our unique talents to effect change.

This is the first of many new and exciting projects from Silkroad, and we cannot wait to share it with you. Together we rise and fall, speaking our truths, honoring our forgotten histories, and looking to our collective future as we investigate this new chapter and uncover the world within American music.

ABOUT SILKROAD

Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998, recognizing the historical Silk Road as a model for radical cultural collaboration—for the exchange of ideas, tradition, and innovation across borders. In an innovative experiment, he brought together musicians from the lands of the Silk Road to co-create a musical language founded in difference, thus creating the foundation of Silkroad: both a touring ensemble comprised of world-class musicians from all over the globe and a social-impact organization working to make a positive impact across borders through the arts. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad leads social impact initiatives and educational programming alongside the creation of new music by the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble. For more information, please visit Silkroad.org

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Zirkozaurre

Company

At Zirkozaurre we like to create and that is why we have our own company. It is the result of the desire and the research and improvement processes of technique and performance that we develop in our circus arts space.

Zirkozaurre emerged in 2011 as a commitment to the professionalization of the circus sector and our first productions were released in 2014. Specifically, the shows ‘Vademekun’, ‘Morse’ and ‘Akelarre’.

As a result of the above, we began to develop laboratory spaces that would accommodate artists from different backgrounds to share knowledge and techniques and generate synergies that would in turn give rise to new creations. This is how ‘El punto de la I’ and ‘Eten(H)ari’ came about in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

In the last two years, at Zirkozaurre we have been committed to breaking down interdisciplinary barriers and developing projects that explore new forms of dramaturgy and staging. The idea is to use movement as a starting point to build bridges between the living arts in the search for new languages and other ways of telling.

Within this framework, the show ‘Tiempo’, created in 2019, was a creation that combines dance and circus. Our latest production is called ‘Kobr3’ (2020), a fine montage in which juggling, synchronized and choreographed, is the protagonist.

In addition, we also develop customized parades and circus galas. And we are working on a new project together with the Municipal Band of Txistularis of Bilbao entitled ‘Sua piztuz’.

Click here to learn more about Zirkozaurre.

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Bilbao 2022
Ljubljana 2025
Speakers
Arts
Asia 2028

Satish Kumar

Editor Emeritus, Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine; Founder, Schumacher College

Peace-pilgrim, life-long activist and former monk, Satish Kumar has been inspiring global change for over 50 years. Aged 9, Satish renounced the world and became a wandering Jain monk. Inspired by Gandhi, he decided at 18 that he could achieve more back in the world and soon undertook a peace-pilgrimage, walking without money from India to America for the cause of nuclear disarmament. Now in his 80s, Satish has devoted his life to campaigning for ecological regeneration, social justice and spiritual fulfilment.

An acclaimed author and international speaker, Satish appears regularly on podcasts, radio and television shows. He has been interviewed by Richard Dawkins, Russell Brand and Annie Lennox, appearing as a guest on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, Thought for the Day and Midweek. Satish presented an episode of BBC2’s Natural World documentary series, which was watched by 3.6 million people. 

Satish’s autobiography ‘No Destination’ sold over 50,000 copies, inspiring change around the world. Through his writing, teaching and international talks, Satish passionately shares visions of the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.  Satish co-founded Schumacher College and founded The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity that seeks to inform and inspire a just future for all. He was the Editor of the charity’s change-making magazine, Resurgence & Ecologist, for over 40 years, making him the UK’s longest-serving editor of the same magazine. He continues to serve this publication as Editor Emeritus and by writing for each and every trailblazing issue.  Satish would like to offer you 20% off membership of The Resurgence Trust. When you join, you will receive a range of membership benefits including the hope-inspiring, bi-monthly Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, and support Satish (and the charity he founded) in protecting the future of people and planet.

Find out more about Satish’s work and this offer: https://www.resurgence.org/membership/satish-offer.html 

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IN SATISH’S WORDS

How do you think individual, collective, and planetary wellbeing are connected?

The word ‘human’ comes from ‘humus’ which means soil. So, human beings are literally soil beings! Our food comes from the soil. Only healthy soil can produce healthy food. Similarly, clean, pure and healthy water as well as clean, pure and healthy air are a prerequisite for the health of all human beings. Human health cannot flourish on a sick planet. We are all inter-related and interconnected. We are all Nature. The planet Earth is made of millions and trillions of individual organisms. So, the health and wellbeing of the entire planet Earth depends on the health and wellbeing of each and every single individual living being. There is no separation between the individual, the collective and the planetary. Life is a continuum. Each and every individual part of the planet Earth are integral to the entire web of life. 

What do you hope the outcomes are from the global Hearth Summit?

From time to time, we need to be reminded that health and wellbeing of people and the planet Earth are fundamental to human happiness. The global Hearth Summit will do exactly that. We will be re-energised and re-inspired to come together, work together and build a healthy community together. The global Hearth Summit will be a great opportunity to share ideas, information, insights and wisdom of people from across the world. This event will provide a great platform for building mutuality, reciprocity and solidarity. All our Flourishing is mutual. I am looking forward to being there and meeting many kindred spirits there. 

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Bilbao 2022
Ljubljana 2025
Speakers
Arts
Asia 2028

Dr. Richard J. Davidson

Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Founder & Chief Visionary for Healthy Minds Innovations, Inc.

William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Richard J Davidson is the founder and Chief Visionary for Healthy Minds Innovations, Inc.

Richard J Davidson received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Psychology in 1976. Davidson’s research is broadly focused on the neural bases of emotion and emotional style and methods to promote human flourishing including meditation and related contemplative practices. He has published over 440 articles, numerous chapters and reviews and edited 14 books. He is the author (with Sharon Begley) of “The Emotional Life of Your Brain” published in 2012 and co-author with Daniel Goleman of “Altered Traits” published in 2017. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2006. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017 and appointed to the Governing Board of UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) in 2018. In 2014, Davidson founded the non-profit, Healthy Minds Innovations, which translates science into tools to cultivate and measure well-being.

Watch Plenary Recording

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LEARN MORE FROM DR. RICHARD J. DAVIDSON LEARN MORE FROM DR. RICHARD J. DAVIDSON

Imam Sayed Razawi

British scholar and religious leader

Imam Sayed Razawi is a British scholar and religious leader with a research interest in Islamic philosophy, mysticism, and comparative religion. In particular, he focuses upon the concept of “love” theoretically and applies his insights as a practitioner of theology to expound upon the values and thought-system of Islam on one hand and to undertake interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding through civil society engagement on the other.

He is the Chief Imam and Director General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society (SABS). He is also an associate and a director at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, as well as being a Visiting Scholar at the University of Strathclyde.

Nationally, he has served as an advisor on the United Kingdom’s Independent Sharia Review commissioned by Theresa May and participates as a member of the Oxfam GB Zakat Advisory Panel. He is also a trustee for Faith for the Climate.

Internationally, Imam Razawi is a trustee and member of multiple international organizations and non-governmental bodies including an international Trustee of Religions for Peace (RfP), a member of the European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL), a member of the United Nation (UN) Multi-Faith Advisory Council, and an advisory board member of the Islamic Reporting Initiative (IRI).

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Reggie Hubbard

Teacher, Activist, Strategist and Organizer

Reggie is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and the founder/chief serving officer of Active Peace Yoga. His yoga and meditation practice have served as a sanctuary of peace and perspective while navigating the stresses of being a black man in the world and serving in pressure filled jobs at the height of politics. He began practicing yoga under extreme emotional distress at work and now shares his practice to all walks of life in service to helping people navigate this thing called life with more peace and ease.

Through Active Peace Yoga, he offers asana and meditation classes to help others nurture peace of mind, creativity, equanimity in spirit and physical health – helping people nurture well-being as foundational, rather than an afterthought. Reggie has taught Members of Congress, Congressional Staff, major labor unions, leading progressive organizations and individuals from all walks of life – simple tools for managing stress and bringing peace to mind, body and spirit. Reducing stress and taking better care of ourselves is a key to enhancing workplace safety, managing work/life balance and improving our quality of life.

In addition to his yoga teaching practice, Reggie has held many senior strategic and logistical roles across a variety of fields, ranging from global marketing, digital and community organizing, government relations, international education to Presidential campaigning. . He recently left a senior position as a leading progressive political strategist to devote more time to his personal practices and how to share them with others in these challenging times to allow more people to live with more peace of mind.

Reggie’s life work sits at the intersection of bringing more peace and balance to activists; guiding the wellness community toward being more engaged, concerned citizens; and, enhancing the well-being of all walks of life. Achieving this balance is how we catalyze transformative change in our society, which we are desperately in need of at this moment.

He received a B.A. in philosophy from Yale University and an MBA in international strategy from the Vlerick Business School in Belgium.

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Ramsés Gómez

Director, Academia B

Ramsés Gómez Molina, works to promote the adoption of entrepreneurship and social innovation as a core value of higher education in Latin America.

Ramsés holds a master’s degree in innovation for business development and a bachelor’s degree in international business (magna cum laude), both degrees from Tecnológico de Monterrey.

In his current role as Director of Academia B at Sistema B International, he promotes the development of research, methodologies and pedagogical tools to advance the training of a new generation of professionals for the new economy.

He previously served as Executive Director of Sistema B Mexico, Director of Ashoka Universities for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and prior to that as co-founder and Director of Impact Hub Mexico City.

In 2019 he was selected as a Fellow of the Compassionate Leadership network, an initiative supported by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which aims to accompany the development of leaders – current and future – with the skills and wisdom to build a more just and compassionate world. Ramses is also a member of the BMW Foundation’s Responsible Leaders network and the global initiative The Wellbeing Project.

Among his activities, he serves on Ashoka’s social entrepreneurship selection panel, and is on the advisory board of several social enterprises.

He has been a guest speaker at various institutions, and has participated in the co-design and delivery of entrepreneurship and social innovation programs at institutions such as the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), and Tecnológico de Monterrey, among others.

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Rajni Bakshi

Author, Speaker, Founder of Ahimsa Conversations

Rajni Bakshi is a Mumbai-based author, speaker and founder of the online platform ‘Ahimsa Conversations’.

Her books include: Bazaars, Conversations and Freedom: for a market culture beyond greed and fear (Penguin, India, 2009 and Greenleaf, UK, 2012), which won two Vodafone-Crossword Awards; Bapu Kuti: Journeys in Rediscovery of Gandhi (Penguin, India, 1998) which inspired the Hindi film Swades; Long Haul: the Bombay Textile Workers Strike 1982-83 (BUILD, India, 1986). Rajni has also written several monographs including: Trusteeship: Business and the economics of well-being (2016); Civilizational Gandhi (2012); An Economics for Well-Being (2007); Let’s Make it Happen: a backgrounder on New Economics (2003); A Warning and an Opportunity: the Dispute over Swami Vivekananda’s Legacy (1994). On 30th January, 2020, Rajni launched a Youtube Channel called Ahimsa Conversations, which is a platform for exploring the possibilities of nonviolence.

She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Rajni was awarded the Homi Bhabha Fellowship in 2000.

From 2013 to 2016 Rajni was the Gandhi Peace Fellow at Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations, a Mumbai based foreign policy think tank. She serves on the Boards of Child Rights and You (CRY), Citizens for Peace (CfP) and the Centre of Education and Documentation (CED).

Rabbi David Rosen

Chief Rabbi David Rosen, KSG, CBE

Rabbi David Rosen, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, is the International Director of Interreligious Affairs of AJC, the American Jewish Committee and Director of its Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding. He is a past chairman of IJCIC, the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations.

Rabbi Rosen is a member of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s Commission for Interreligious Dialogue; and serves on the Council of the Religious Institutions of the Holy Land.

He is an International President of the Religions for Peace (RfP), and a member of the Board of Directors of the King Abdullah International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), established by the King of Saudi Arabia as well as the governments of Austria and Spain together with the Holy See. He is also Honorary President of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ); on the Executive of the World Council of Religious Leaders and the Elijah Interfaith Institute’s Board of World Religious Leaders.

He has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Congress of Imams and Rabbis and as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum’s Council for promoting relations and cooperation between the Muslim and Western worlds. He is a Founder of Rabbis for Human Rights, and the Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue.

Rabbi Rosen was a member of the Bilateral Commission of the State of Israel and the Holy See that negotiated the Fundamental Agreement between the two, leading to the establishment of full bilateral relations in 1994.

In November 2005, Pope Benedict XVI made Rabbi Rosen a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great for his contribution to promoting Catholic-Jewish reconciliation; in 2010 he was made a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to interfaith relations; and in March 2016 he was awarded the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation.

In addition to honorary doctorates, Rabbi Rosen is the recipient of various awards including the Premio Galileo 2000 Award; the Raphael Lemkin Award for Human Rights; the Search for Common Ground Award for Interfaith Dialogue; Waldzell Institute Life Achievement Award (together with the Dalai Lama and Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb); and the Festival of Faiths’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

2020 WELLBINAR FEATURING RABBI DAVID ROSEN

Peggy Dulany

Founder and Chair, Synergos

Peggy Dulany is Chair of Synergos, a global organization helping solve complex issues around the world by advancing bridging leadership, which builds trust and collective action.

Drawing from her experience living and working in Rio de Janeiro as a young woman, she realized that the people most affected by adverse living conditions also have the greatest energy and motivation to solve their problems. The resources they lack are connections to the economic and political realms where necessary changes can affect whole communities.

Peggy founded Synergos in 1986 to promote trust and collaboration among grassroots groups and government or business leaders and organizations, people who otherwise would not have access to each other, so that they can develop long-term relationships and forge new paths in overcoming poverty. In 2001, she co-founded Synergos’ Global Philanthropists Circle with her father, David Rockefeller, to support philanthropic families in using this approach.

Her career has included heading a public high school program for drop-outs and consulting with the United Nations and the Ford Foundation on health care and family planning, and with the National Endowment for the Arts on nonprofit management and planning. She was Senior Vice President of the New York City Partnership, where she headed the Youth Employment, Education, and Community Affairs programs.

Peggy is an honor graduate of Radcliffe College and holds a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University. She has sat on over thirty nonprofit and corporate boards including Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Africa-America Institute, among others. She runs two socially responsible businesses: a grass-fed beef and guest ranch in Montana and an ecotourism operation in Namibia. Through Synergos, she also guides wilderness retreats that offer participants a safe space in which to reflect on their deepest purpose in life.

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