Award-Winning Silkroad Ensemble Visits NJPAC As Part Of Regional Summer Tour

Marking its only performance in the New York City area this year, the multinational Silkroad Ensemble returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in a one-night only concert on Saturday, July 23, 2022.

Silkroad last performed on the NJPAC stage in 2018 with its previous leader Yo-Yo Ma. This summer's performance includes three New Jersey premieres as well as the NJPAC debut of Silkroad's new Artistic Director, the Grammy Award-winning musician and vocalist Rhiannon Giddens.

A musical rebirth and celebration, Phoenix Rising takes a cross-section of Silkroad's award-winning compositions and arrangements and re-imagines them for today. Keeping an eye on the past, members of the Silkroad Ensemble and Giddens have also collaborated on new works that coalesce her unique worldview with the Ensemble's collective experience during the pandemic. As such, Phoenix Rising unveils three major new commissions by Silkroad artists Sandeep Das, Maeve Gilchrist, and Kaoru Watanabe. The program also includes new arrangements by Rhiannon Giddens, Colin Jacobsen, Edward Pérez, and Mazz Swift. Giddens and 13 Silkroad artists will visit the New England region this summer with stops in Massachusetts (Music Worcester at Indian Ranch @ Webster Jul 27), New Hampshire (Hopkins Center for the Arts @ Hanover Jul 19), New York (Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts @ Katonah Jul 16 & Skaneateles Festival @ Skaneateles Jul 30), Rhode Island (Newport Folk Festival @ Newport Jul 22) and Virginia (Wolf Trap @Vienna Jul 24) in addition to NJPAC in New Jersey.

Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998, recognizing the historical Silk Road as a model for cultural collaboration-for the exchange of ideas, tradition, and innovation across borders. In a groundbreaking 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. To learn more, please visit silkroad.org and @silkroadproject on social media.

Grammy Award-winning musician and vocalist Rhiannon Giddens has pursued a lifelong quest to shine light on under-recognized voices, genres, and musical traditions. A MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient, Giddens co-founded the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, and she has been nominated for six additional Grammys for her work as a soloist and collaborator. As a performer, composer, and cross-cultural connector, she has helped to change the understanding of both American and world music. Giddens has performed with the Silkroad Ensemble numerous times, but her appearances with them this season will be her first since succeeding Yo-Yo Ma as Artistic Director. Along with Silkroad's artists, Giddens has shaped a program that will serve to connect the ever-evolving organization and its Ensemble.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America's most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey - where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state's and the world's best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has served more than 10 million visitors (including over 1.9 million students and families) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.

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