National Sawdust Presents: Silkroad Up-Close featuring Kaoru Watanabe and Layale Chaker
About This Event
National Sawdust presents Silkroad Up-Close with Kaoru Watanabe and Layale Chaker, part of a series that brings Silkroad’s cross-cultural chamber ethos into an intimate Brooklyn setting. Watanabe, a genre-mixing bandleader heard frequently at National Sawdust, joins Chaker for a program that foregrounds contemporary-classical writing, improvisatory practice and close ensemble listening rather than spectacle.
About the Artists
National Sawdust Presents: Silkroad Up-Close
National Sawdust Presents: Silkroad Up-Close is a National Sawdust–hosted performance series in Brooklyn that brings Silkroad’s cross-cultural chamber ethos into an intimate setting. Drawing on the nonprofit ensemble founded by Yo-Yo Ma, the programs pair contemporary-classical writing with improvisatory practice and close listening.
Silkroad
Silkroad is a not-for-profit ensemble launched in 1998 by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, built around collaboration across musical lineages linked, in spirit, to the old Eurasian trade routes. In New York City, the group has brought its “Silkroad Up-Close” format to National Sawdust, foregrounding small-group encounters rather than large-scale spectacle.
Kaoru Watanabe
Kaoru Watanabe is a rock/pop artist heard on New York City stages including National Sawdust, where he appears in genre-mixing bills and curated programs. His work shows up both as a featured performer and as a bandleader, notably in Kaoru Watanabe’s Bloodlines Interwoven.