New York Report — On the morning of November 6, local time, with only 40 days to go before the opening of the 13th International Day of the Belt and Road (Silk Road Festival) and the Global Chinatown Belt and Road New Year Cultural Festival, the New York Secretariat of the World Peace Ribbon Organization officially announced the inauguration of the World Buddhist Music Research Institute and the World Buddhist Music Competition Jury.
The establishment of these two professional institutions aims to systematically sort out, study and inherit Silk Road Buddhist music culture, set up an international and standardized evaluation system for Buddhist music art, and provide dedicated support for the upcoming inaugural “Listen to Tianshan Silently · Moisten the Silk Road with Buddhist Melodies” World Buddhist Music Conference in Mandalay, Myanmar. They will offer authoritative professional backing for artistic quality, work selection and academic standards, filling the gap in international professional research and competition evaluation of Silk Road Buddhist music.
It is reported that the newly founded World Buddhist Music Research Institute focuses on academic research, cultural preservation, artistic innovation and international communication of Silk Road Buddhist music, Buddhist chants, Zen music and Eastern meditation music. It delves into diverse Buddhist music traditions including Theravada and Mahayana styles, explores the profound Buddhist music heritage of Mandalay, a key node on the Southern Silk Road, and builds the world’s first specialized academic exchange platform for Silk Road Buddhist music.
The concurrently established World Buddhist Music Competition Jury will be responsible for work collection, professional appraisal, artistic grading and high-quality piece selection for this and all future sessions of the World Buddhist Music Conference. It will formulate unified, impartial, professional and international evaluation criteria for Buddhist music competitions, avoid homogeneous and low-quality submissions, and continuously lift the artistic standard and global cultural influence of the World Buddhist Music Conference.
Leveraging the academic and evaluation functions of the two new institutions, the organizing committee has officially launched a global open call for Buddhist music works. Original and well-adapted pieces of Buddhist music, chants, Zen music and Silk Road meditation music are being collected for the international Buddhist music selection contest.
This collection activity is positioned as a cultural and artistic exchange, centered on purity, harmony, peace and coexistence along the Silk Road. It is open to global musicians, chanting troupes, traditional instrumentalists, temple art groups and cultural creators. All shortlisted and award-winning works will be premiered and performed live at the inaugural World Buddhist Music Conference in Mandalay, Myanmar, and outstanding pieces will be archived in the authoritative collection Silk Road Buddhist Music Masterpiece Library.
Award-winning works and excellent creations will be covered globally by the Silk Road News Agency in multiple languages, available for long-term online screening and regular international dissemination. The Silk Road Buddhist music culture will cross borders and spread kindness, enriching the connotation of civilizational exchange and people-to-people connectivity of the International Day of the Belt and Road (Silk Road Festival).
Chen Entian, Chairman of the World Peace Ribbon Organization, stated that the launch of the World Buddhist Music Research Institute and the Jury marks a new stage for Silk Road Buddhist music: from scattered performances and grassroots communication toward academic, systematic, competitive and international development. It creates a long-term high-end platform for inheriting traditional music culture and cross-border people-to-people exchanges among countries along the Silk Road.
