My Music with Rhiannon Giddens

Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens tells a story of black convict labor in the post Civil War South, and how their dangerous work on a mountain railroad became the basis for a popular folk song whose lyrics got whitewashed and then recently rediscovered.

Rhiannon Giddens sings the traditional 'Cherry Tree Carol' for Christmas in the Gothic Church at historic Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, Ireland.

Native American vocalist and lap steel guitarist Pura Fé has both Tuscarora and Taino blood in her veins and generations of ancestors in her voice. She shares her personal background and musical journey in an episode that culminates in a Silkroad Ensemble performance of her song “Mahk Jchi.”

Japanese percussionist Haruka Fujii talks with Rhiannon about the surprising history of the marimba in Japan and her own mission to spread the beauty of Japanese music to diverse audiences. They discuss Silkroad’s “American Railroad” project, and the episode ends with a performance of Fujii’s original composition “Tamping Song.”

Sandeep Das is a virtuoso on the northern India drums called tabla, and his musical education included living for 12 years in the home of a famous guru. Sandeep and host Rhiannon share a visit in L.A.’s Union Station that concludes with a Silkroad Ensemble performance at U.C. Berkeley featuring the tabla.

Host Rhiannon Giddens visits with Mazz Swift, a violinist, vocalist and improvisational conductor whose musical journey includes education at Juilliard, playing music in the New York subway and working with goats on a farm.

Host Rhiannon Giddens shares a musical visit with Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist in a historic North Carolina train station. They discuss the harp’s place in different musical traditions and talk about Maeve’s original composition for Silkroad Ensemble’s “American Railroad” project.

Host Rhiannon Giddens performs and talks with pipa master Wu Man, a 2023 NEA National Heritage Fellow who has been part of Silkroad Ensemble since its founding in 2000 by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. They talk about the origins of the pipa and discuss Silkroad’s multi-year “American Railroad” project.

Pulitzer Prize and Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens hosts a half-hour series of musical performance and conversation with multicultural musicians in the Silkroad Ensemble’s “American Railroad” project.

Host Rhiannon sits down with her partner and collaborator, Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, for a look back at their meeting, the discovery of their musical affinities, and their shared vision of musical heritage that crosses borders.

New Orleans native Joy Clark is a lyrical guitarist and rising singer/songwriter on the Americana music scene. She and host Rhiannon Giddens share music and talk about her religious upbringing and her lifelong love affair with the guitar.

Indie artist Adia Victoria grew up not far from Nina Simone’s childhood home in Tryon, NC. Host Rhiannon Giddens meets her there to share music and hear stories about her strict religious upbringing and her self-discovery through the blues.

Charly Lowry is an indigenous singer and songwriter of Lumbee/Tuscarora descent whose native American roots and experiences inform her music. Host Rhiannon Giddens visits Charly’s tribal homeland of Robeson County, NC for songs and conversation.

Host Rhiannon Giddens visits with Rissi Palmer, a passionate voice for country music artists of color and those who have been marginalized by the mainstream music establishment. Rissi performs her first hit song, “Country Girl,” and 2019’s “Seeds.”

Host Rhiannon Giddens shares a musical visit with longtime friend Allison Russell, the Canadian singer-songwriter and activist whose album Outside Child has received three Grammy nominations and many international accolades.

Rhiannon Giddens shares a musical visit with three lifelong friends: Justin Robinson, a co-founder of the ground-breaking black string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops; her sister, singer Lalenja Harrington; and singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett.

Grammy winner and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Rhiannon Giddens hosts a new half-hour series of musical performance and conversation with outstanding guest artists—innovative and accomplished musicians and storytellers who have forged unconventional paths to find their voices.