American Railroad
Silkroad Ensemble’s newest initiative, American Railroad, illuminates the impact of African American, Chinese, Irish, and other immigrant laborers who built the Transcontinental Railroad, and the indigenous communities who were displaced by it. Exploring the dissemination of cultures across the United States, the railroad was to North America what the Silk Road was to China, the Far East, and Europe.
These populations played a fundamental role in one of America’s most important technological and economic achievements of the 19th century—and shaped its cultural identity—yet their contributions have all too often been erased from history. This performance will amplify untold stories to paint a richer, more accurate picture of the origins of the American Empire which profoundly reverberate today, and the formation of our multifaceted American identities.
Each stop on the American Railroad tour will contextualize—or rather re-contextualize—the railroad through music. Chinese traditional music on the suona and pipa are contrasted with the fiddle and banjo of Black musical traditions, or 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.
As highlighted in the New York Times, Silkroad’s newest undertaking challenges modern perceptions of the American identity by highlighting stories untold and voices unheard. The program features new, original music written by Ensemble members and outside composers.
As a social-impact organization and home to a GRAMMY® Award-winning musical ensemble, Silkroad works to inspire collaboration in innovative ways that add equity and justice into the world through the power of the arts. Under the leadership of Artistic Director, and former Carolina Performing Arts artist-in-residence, Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad reaches new heights through a commitment to new music, a mission towards cultural collaboration, and a reinvigorated focus to high-quality arts education.
This will be Silkroad’s fifth performance with us.
TICKET & DISCOUNT INFORMATION
Tickets available starting from $49.
$11 STUDENT TICKETS
For UNC-Chapel Hill students (with valid UNC One Card) and all Triangle-area students K-college (with valid student ID)
- Current UNC-Chapel Hill students: Use promo code UNCST2425 and select the price type “UNC Student”
- Non UNC-Chapel Hill students: Use promo code GENST2425 and use the price type “Student”
15% DISCOUNT
Seniors, Active & Retired Military / First Responders, and Carolina Alumni save on regular price tickets with promo codes:
- Seniors: Use promo code SENIOR2425
- Active & Retired Military / First Responders: Use promo code SERVICE2425
- Carolina Alumni: Use promo code GAA2425
25% DISCOUNT
UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff / UNC Health Employees save on regular price tickets with promo codes:
- UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff and UNC Health Staff: Use promo code UNCFS2425
- Retired UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty & Staff: Use promo code UNCRET2425
Watch our video on applying discount codes when checking out!
*Limits apply. All prices include tax. A 6.5% platform fee will apply to all orders. Discounts cannot be combined. Additional exclusions may apply. Visit our FAQ page for more details.
EVENT DETAILS
- Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes, including intermission
- Intermission: 20 minutes
- Additional information: Visit our FAQ page
PROGRAM
| Swannanoa Tunnel/Great Grandpa's Banjo | Traditional, Pura Fé | |
| You Have A Heart, I Have Love | Traditional, arr. Silkroad Ensemble | |
| Tamping Song | Haruka Fujii | |
| Swannanoa Tunnel/Steel-Driving Man | Traditional, arr. Rhiannon Giddens | |
| Far Down Far | Maeve Gilchrist | |
| Rela | Sandeep Das* | |
| Bani | Balla Kouyaté & Mike Block* |
– – Intermission – –
| Rust And Dreams | Layale Chaker* | |
| Have You Seen My Man? | Cécile McLorin Salvant | |
| Swannanoa Strings | Traditional, arr. Silkroad Ensemble | |
| Summit | Shane Shanahan* | |
| Rainy Day | Rhiannon Giddens, Wu Man | |
| Mank Jchi | Pura Fé | |
| A Win For You | Michael Abels* |
*commissioned by Silkroad for American Railroad 2024
FEATURED ARTISTS
Rhiannon Giddens, voice, banjo, fiddle
Balla Kouyaté, balafon
Edward Pérez, bass
Francesco Turrisi, frame drums, accordion
Kaoru Watanabe, Japanese flutes, Japanese percussion
Layale Chaker, violin and voice
Maeve Gilchrist, Celtic harp and voice
Mario Gotoh, viola and voice
Mike Block, cello
Pura Fé, voice, lap-steel guitar
Sandeep Das, tabla
Shane Shanahan, percussion
Yazhi Guo, suona, hulusi, guanzi
ABOUT SILKROAD
Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998, recognizing the historical Silk Road as a model for radical cultural collaboration—for the exchange of ideas, tradition, and innovation across borders. In an innovative experiment, he brought together musicians from the lands of the Silk Road to co-create a musical language founded in difference, thus creating the foundation of Silkroad: both a touring ensemble comprised of world-class musicians from all over the globe and a social-impact organization working to make a positive impact across borders through the arts. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad leads social impact initiatives and educational programming alongside the creation of new music by the GRAMMY® Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble.
Learn more at Silkroad.org.
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 composer of opera, ballet, and film, Giddens has centered her work around the mission of lifting up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, and advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art.
As Pitchfork once said, “few artists are so fearless and so ravenous in their exploration”—a journey that 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, released August 18, 2023 on Nonesuch Records.
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