#rhiannon giddens

Yes, it’s true, I love a good folk singer.

Rhiannon Giddens performed “Count on Me,” a song she wrote with Dirk Powell, at the National Memorial Day Concert from the National Mall in Washington, DC, on PBS last night.

Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens on the world premiere of Omar, her new opera with Michael Abels, at Spoleto Festival USA last night! Performances continue there through June 12.

Future performances of Omar will be given by LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Boston Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Carolina Performing Arts.

Happy weekend! There are lots of great live events ahead around the world from Rhiannon Giddens, Jeremy Denk, Tigran Hamasyan, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Kronos Quartet, Lake Street Dive, Joshua Redman & Christian McBride, Caroline Shaw & Attacca Quartet, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Wilco, and Daughter of Swords. Details here.

Rhiannon Giddens has been named the Music Director for the 77th Ojai Music Festival, June 8–11, 2023. The initial list of guest artists include Francesco Turrisi, Attacca Quartet, Wu Man, and Kayhan Kalhor. Read more here.

The Festival’s Artistic and Executive Director Ara Guzelimian says: “I have boundless admiration for Rhiannon as both a compelling musician and as an extraordinary artistic catalyst bringing together musical worlds towards important philosophical, cultural, and social goals.”

Julia Bullock performs at the 2022 Festival, which takes place June 9–12. Past Artist Directors include John Adams,Jeremy Denk, and Dawn Upshaw.

Rhiannon Giddens presents a new three-part BBC Radio 4 series and podcast called Black Roots, which explores the history of African American roots music through the stories of its pioneers.

The first episode, out now, explores two fiddlers from her home state of North Carolina: Joe Thompson, a mentor to Giddens and the group she co-founded, Carolina Chocolate Drops; and 19th-century musician Frank Johnson, who, born into slavery, bought freedom for himself and his family from his earnings as a musician and became one of the first black celebrities in the South.

You can hear it here.

As seen in Sunday’s New York Times: feature on Rhiannon GiddensandOmar, her new opera with Michael Abels, which gets its world premiere at Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC, this Friday. You can read it online here.

There’s lots of great live music ahead around the world this weekend from Mary Halvorson,Jeremy Denk,Rhiannon Giddens,Tigran Hamasyan,Emmylou Harris,Hurray for the Riff Raff, Gabriel Kahane, Kronos Quartet,Lake Street Dive,Jeff Parker,Caroline Shaw, and Attacca Quartet. Details and tickets here.

“Every person puts their imprint on tradition,” Rhiannon Giddens tells the New York Times’ Brian Seibert in a feature on Omar, the new opera she wrote with Michael Abels, ahead of its world premiere at Spoleto Festival in Charleston next week. “We can look at music and see where we have come together.” You can read the article here.

Rhiannon Giddens performs “Julie’s Aria,” a song from Omar, the new opera she wrote with Michael Abels, in a new recording with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi and guitarist Bill Frisell. You can hear it here.Omar, which receives its long-awaited world premiere at Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC, next Friday, is based on the life and autobiography of enslaved Muslim scholar Omar Ibn Said, who was forcefully brought to Charleston from Africa in 1807. 

“My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be seen and heard, but that can also add to the conversation about what’s going on now,” Giddens says. “This is a story that hasn’t been represented in the operatic world—or in any world.”

Omar will also be performed by LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Boston Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi are the hosts of a new Apple Music radio show, Musical Routes Radio, all six episodes of which are now available. You can hear them all now on Apple Music here, and tune in to hear them on Apple Radio Country every other Saturday at 6pm ET.

“So much of the Americana and country music we love has roots outside of the United States,” Giddens says. “Take the banjo, whose rhythmic plucks can be heard in traditional bluegrass, contemporary country, and everything in between, but which originated in Africa … Illustrating the many intersections between country/roots music and global musical traditions, including Celtic music, Caribbean music, Indigenous music, and more, listeners will discover new artists, broaden their own musical knowledge, and enjoy unscripted, far-reaching conversations from our encyclopedic minds.“

It was 5 years ago today: Kronos Quartet’sFolk Songs was released on Nonesuch Records. On the album, Kronos is joined by Sam Amidon,Olivia Chaney,Rhiannon Giddens, and Natalie Merchant to perform mostly traditional with contemporary arrangements, produced by Doug Petty. You can hear it here.

1. Lorde - Melodrama
   
2. Haim - Something To Tell You
3. Charly Bliss - Guppy
4. Fleet Foxes - Crack Up
5. Perfume Genius - No Shape
6. Elder - Reflections Of A Floating World
7. Dear Evan Hansen - Original Cast Recording
8. SZA - CTRL
9. Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights
10. Hurray For The Riff Raff - The Navigator
11. Sampha - Process
12. Sheer Mag - Need To Feel Your Love
13. Brutus - Burst
14. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound
15. Kesha - Rainbow
16. Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway
17. Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness
18. Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.
19. Sorority Noise - You’re Not As _____ As You Think
20. Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet
21. St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION
22. (Sandy) Alex G - Rocket
23. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - The Kid
24. Amber Coffman - City Of No Reply
25. Fits - All Belief Is Paradise