The Silk Road Ensemble recently wrapped up its first post-pandemic tour, its first under its new Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens. Named to succeed ensemble founder Yo-Yo Ma in 2020, Giddens, whose musical roots range from blues, country and folk to classical, is taking the group forward with new projects. A Tempo host Rachel Katz this Saturday chats with Giddens about some of these plans, including the American Railroad Project that explores the role of immigrant groups in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad, as well as her own personal projects, such as the recently premiered opera Omar, about an enslaved Muslim man in Charleston, SC.
Giddens will perform at McCarter Theatre with her partner, Francesco Turrisi, this October, and members of the Silk Road Ensemble will perform at Carnegie Hall in March.