Silkroad, led by Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, is launching its American Railroad initiative in November 2023. It includes a U.S. concert tour with educational activities, focusing on the cultural history of railroads. The tour features new compositions and reinterpretations by various artists. The project sheds light on the often-overlooked contributions of diverse communities to the United States of America’s railroad history. This initiative, three years in the making, includes visual installations, an album, a documentary series, and educational materials.
Preparation for the tour involved historical research and open workshops across the United States. A second tour is planned for fall 2024, expanding to the East Coast and Midwest.
“The American Railroad project has been years in the making, and the program we’ve created for our first tour is only the beginning. In it, we shed light on those who have been erased or overlooked throughout American history and merge with it Silkroad’s unique ability to amplify voices from a multitude of backgrounds and cultures. The result is a tapestry of stories, traditions, and musics that have shaped our multifaceted cultural identity, and that must be heard and recognized. I hope audiences in the D.C. area and across California will leave these performances with a clearer sense of where we come from, how we got here, what it cost us—and that we collectively reflect on where we’re headed,” said Giddens.
2023 American Railroad Roster:
Rhiannon Giddens on banjo and vocals; Mazz Swift on violin and vocals; Wu Man on pipa; Sandeep Das on tabla; Haruka Fujii on percussion; Shawn Conley on bass; Karen Ouzounian on cello and vocals; Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion; Michi Wiancko on violin. Guest artists: Francesco Turrisi on frame drums and accordion; Niwel Tsumbu on guitar; Pura Fé Crescioni on lap-steel guitar and vocals; and Guo Yazhi on suona. Projections by Camilla Tassi.
(headline image: Silkroad Ensemble – Photo by Adam Gurczak)
Tour Schedule:
November 5, 2023
Center for the Arts at George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
Educational Activities:
Residency with Rhiannon Giddens and Silkroad artists as part of Mason’s Artist-in-Residence program for the 2023-2024 season (November 6).
November 9, 2023
The Granada Theatre
Presented by UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures
Santa Barbara, CA
Educational Activities:
Residency at UC Santa Barbara with three Silkroad artists guest lecturing on world music and ethnomusicology (November 8).
November 10, 2023
Balboa Theatre
Presented by La Jolla Music Society
San Diego, CA
November 11, 2023
Soka Performing Arts Center
Presented by the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Soka Performing Arts Center
Aliso Viejo, CA
November 12, 2023
The Soraya’s Great Hall
Presented by the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts at CSUN
Northridge, CA
November 15, 2023
Bing Concert Hall
Presented by Stanford Live
Stanford, CA
Educational Activities:
Residency at Stanford University with Silkroad artists (November 14).
November 16, 2023
Mondavi Center, UC Davis
Davis, CA
Educational Activities:
Engagement with students from Fremont School as part of Silkroad Connect (November 16).
November 17, 2023
Zellerbach Hall
Presented by Cal Performances
Berkeley, CA
November 18, 2023
Weill Hall
Presented by Green Music Center
Rohnert Park, CA
Author: World Music Central News Room
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