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Washington Post. For the first time in its 36 years, the Smithsonian Folklife festival will be dedicated to a single subject: an exploration of the ancient Silk Road, the trade route that linked Asia and Europe, and its influence of its cultures on American life today... The event has attracted three principal sponsors, which are also underwriting Ma's project: the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Ford Motor Co. and Siemens, the German conglomerate... The festival will spotlight about 350 artists, another record for the event.

The long-term goals are to revitalise the study and performance of traditional music and to make local festivals artistically and financially self-sustaining.

Introduction to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Aga Khan Music Initiative The 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, to be held 26 - 30 June 2002 and July 3 - 7 2002 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, USA, features 350 traditional artists - musicians, dancers, craftsmen, storytellers, artists, cooks, and more - from 20 nations including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United States and Uzbekistan.

The Silk Road Project The Silk Road Project, an ongoing series of concerts and festivals. The Trust is the lead funding agency and creative partner of the Silk Road Project, which was founded by reknowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma to "study the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the Silk Road" and "plant the seeds of new artistic and cultural growth...".