On the (Silk) Road Again

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Photography: 

Erin Baiano

Shortly after graduating with a doctorate in collaborative piano, Cristina Pato found herself onstage at Carnegie Hall performing in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. Close to 10 years later, Pato MGSA’08 is still at it, spanning the globe  with the cellist’s rotating band of international musicians, who explore the ideas of home, multiculturalism, and displacement. Pato, also a recording artist, composer, and solo performer, is considered a master of the Galician bagpipes, known as gaita, an ode to her Spanish upbringing. You can hear her playing on the ensemble’s newest release, Sing Me Home, which won a 2017 Grammy for Best World Album, and see the group perform in the documentary The Music of Strangers, which was nominated for a Grammy this year.