The Virginia Arts Festival presents Yo-Yo Ma and the "Silk Road Ensemble," in concert at Chrysler Hall, Feb. 25.

"Make music, not war" was easily the idealized subtext of the eagerly anticipated appearance of celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his "Silk Road Ensemble," performing as a prelude to the April opening of the Virginia Arts Festival's 10th season.

Ma formed the Silk Road Project in 1998 "...to promote collaboration and a sense of community among institutions, artists, and audiences who share a fascination with the transcultural artistic organization symbolized by the ancient Silk Road" which, some 2100 years ago, extended from Japan and China across Central Asia to India, Iran, and the regions associated with the Mediterranean Sea.

Goodbye, Gray: Color's Back for Spring

After a season of gray, expect spring fashions to pop in technicolor.The runways at New York Fashion Week were awash with color Thursday, from candy-hued magentas and yellows to muted shades of blush pink, light tan and dusty blue. It's a far cry from the gray that dominated the fall lines.Sunny yellow and candylike pink and blue created the palette for Miss Sixty (where the skinny jean lives on), while standouts at Bill Blass came in blush-colored silk-satin and gunmetal silk organza. At Nicole Miller late Wednesday, stained-glass prints and earthy colors dominated.Michael Fink, fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue, said it wasn't yet clear what the big color story will be: candy-colored brights, subdued cosmetics colors or black and white. The only mistake, he said, would be to wear any of them head to toe.New York Fashion Week lasts eight days, previewing the spring-summer looks of 60 designers for fashion editors, retail buyers and stylists.