(Photo credit: David Bazemore) Silkroad announces dates for the second tour of its multi-year American Railroad initiative, conceived by Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens. Stops on the tour will include concerts, pre-performance talks, community and educational activities, masterclasses, and a Q&A. In addition to the tour, Silkroad’s American Railroad will include releases of an album and a podcast in 2024. The {…}
(Photo credits: Bessent, Cheng, & Yildiz) Music of Remembrance has announced its 2024-25 season. This season aims to champion those who use their art to stand up against injustice and inspire action. Concerts will feature works by prominent Black American composers that confront the residual trauma of slavery, a 10th-anniversary production of an opera that addresses the responsibility of artists to {…}
Omar is a man, forcibly taken from his home in West Africa in 1807, and brought through the Middle Passage to America. He is sold into slavery in South Carolina and treated with brutality. He maintains his Muslim faith and eventually while in captivity, writes his autobiography in Arabic. “Omar” is an opera created by MacArthur Fellowship recipient Rhiannon Giddens, {…}
Rhiannon Giddens has spoken out against The Classical Station’s decision to ban the broadcast of numerous operas presented by the Metropolitan Opera. The North Carolina-based station noted that it would not present such works as “Dead Man Walking,” “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X,” “The Hours,” “Florencia en el Amazonas,” and “El Niño” due to concerns over content {…}
Photo credit: Adam Gurczak Silkroad announced its debut tour of “American Railroad.” Beginning Nov. 5, Grammy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Rhiannon Giddens and the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble will embark on a multi-city U.S. tour. The program includes three new commissions by Cécile McLorin Salvant, Suzanne Kite, and Silkroad artist Wu Man, as well as re-envisioned arrangements by Giddens and {…}
Photo credit: Guggenheim Museum Lincoln Center’s Fall/Winter programming has been announced. The lineup includes a variety of contemporary and classical works, as well as a series of new collaborations. This article will feature vocal events only. Tenor and drag queen Jasmine Rice LaBeija stars in “보바 Gays Take Lincoln Center!” Korean-American comedians Alex Kim and Kenny Park Yi join LaBejia for {…}
La Jolla Music Society has announced its 2023-24 Winter Season, celebrating its 55th anniversary with 71 events scheduled. Vocal highlights include a recital on Valentine’s Day, showcasing the exceptional talents of Rhiannon Giddens, soprano Renée Fleming, and star tenor Lawrence Brownlee. For this article, only classical vocal performances are listed. “To push San Diego’s conceptions of who we are as {…}
The world of new opera is a fascinating place. Many new operas explore the end of time, making cake, or questionable life choices. But others cover historical moments and figures that should be explored. Composed by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, their new opera “Omar” looks at the figure Omar ibn Said and his life as an enslaved Muslim in America. {…}
Juilliard’s Spring ChamberFest is set to feature works by Juilliard Creative Associate and resident Rhiannon Giddens. Select Juilliard students will present five public concerts over the course of three days. The program, which focuses on both classical and folk traditions, and curated by Giddens, will include three of her original compositions and excerpts from her new opera “Omar.” Audiences will also hear {…}
David Krauss, Principal Trumpet of the Met Opera and host of Speaking Soundly has launched its second season. The podcast launched with a conversation with the Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens. The new episode, which was released on Feb. 7, showcases Giddens sharing that she is most at home on stage singing opera. Giddens is a musical polymath. She has {…}
The Ojai Music Festival, its Music Director, two-time Grammy Award-winner Rhiannon Giddens, and Festival Artistic and Executive Director Ara Guzelimian have shared the initial programming highlights for the upcoming Festival, which will include over 18 music events featuring a wide range of contemporary classical vocal and operatic works. The 77th edition of the Festival will be held from June 8-11, {…}