In the same way that the Silk Road trade route between China and Europe was once a vehicle for the exchange of cultural ideas between East and West, Silk Road Music is the vehicle for a lively interchange between the traditional Chinese musical styles and western jazz, folk, and classical music The ensemble's masterful blend of traditional Chinese and contemporary instruments is the vision of founder, Qiu Xia He. A virtuoso performer of the pipa (pear-shaped or teardrop lute) Qiu Xia taught at the prestigious Xian Academy of Music and toured throughout the world with the popular Shaanxi Music and Dance Troupe, before emigrating from China and settling in Vancouver. She is joined on stage by two other virtuoso performers who have also settled in Vancouver, Zhi Min Yu on ruan (round bodied lute), and Feng June Wang on vocals and percussion, and by Andres Thibault on guitar and Willy Miles on bass. Silk Road Music has recently released its third album, Endless, a collection of traditional Chinese folk songs.