Question: Which of our upcoming performances features an artist who performed on Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em"?
Answer: If you guessed Silkroad Ensemble, you’re right! Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens played the banjo on Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em".
Learn more about the artist American Songwriter named “one of the most important musical minds currently walking the planet” and her journey uncovering the history of the banjo.
About Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon Giddens has made a singular, iconic career out of stretching her brand of folk music, with its miles-deep historical roots and contemporary sensibilities, into just about every field imaginable. A two-time Grammy Award-winning singer and instrumentalist, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and a composer of opera, ballet, and film, Giddens has centered her work around the mission of lifting up the people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art.
Giddens’ journey has led to NPR naming her one of its “25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century” and to American Songwriter calling her “one of the most important musical minds currently walking the planet.”
Her third solo studio album, You're the One, was released in 2023 on Nonesuch Records.
Listen to Rhiannon Giddens on Spotify.
Learn more about Rhiannon Giddens journey to uncover the history of the banjo.
About American Railroad
Under the leadership of artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad Ensemble illuminates the impact of immigrant communities on the creation of the United States’ transcontinental railroad. American Railroad features new, original music written by ensemble members and outside composers. Chinese traditional music, on instruments such as the suona and pipa, contrasts the fiddle and banjo of Black musical traditions and their Indigenous and Celtic counterparts. These cultural intersections reveal a thread of commonality despite their varied origins and remind us of the intricately rich American story.
Listen to Silkroad Ensemble on Spotify
24/25 HTP Mainstage Music
Experience Silkroad Ensemble at the Harris Theater
November 7, 2024 / 7:30PM