Silkroad To Tour SANCTUARY: THE POWER OF RESONANCE AND RITUAL In March 2026

Silkroad will tour its new flagship program, SANCTUARY: THE POWER OF RESONANCE AND RITUAL, March 10–28, 2026, under the artistic leadership of Rhiannon Giddens.

The ensemble and invited guest artists will visit eight cities across the United States, presenting a collaborative program that emphasizes cross-cultural exchange, improvisation, and shared musical experience. Many tour stops will also include free public programming designed to bring Silkroad artists into local communities through movement workshops, conversations, and participatory events.

The new program will investigate how music can provide solace, foster understanding, and help communities navigate change. Giddens and the participating artists will explore traditions associated with trance, ritual practice, and collective sound-making, engaging audiences in an interactive concert environment. “This is a very exciting program for Silkroad, and it feels relevant for this time in our world,” said Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens. “Music has been a healing force across cultures for thousands of years, something that soothes and reaches deep into one’s soul. In Sanctuary, we’re digging into various traditions where music has a long history of doing just that. Some are already represented within the Ensemble, and we’re learning about others with the help of our guest artists. I’m looking forward to this journey of connecting and healing through the power of music.”

The touring roster will draw on musical traditions from Congo, India, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Scotland, and the United States. Ensemble members will include Shawn Conley, Sandeep Das, Haruka Fujii, Maeve Gilchrist, Layale Chaker, Karen Ouzounian, Mazz Swift, Niwel Tsumbu, Francesco Turrisi, and Kaoru Watanabe. Moroccan guembri player Mehdi Nassouli and Italian percussionist Mauro Durante will join the Ensemble as guest artists. Through improvisation and shared creative process, the musicians will explore styles such as Sicilian tarantella, Moroccan Gnawa, Indian classical music, American old-time traditions, and more.

Program material will unfold organically among the artists as they offer compositions and ideas informed by their own experiences with music as a source of comfort and healing. Audience engagement will play a central role, with Giddens emphasizing the importance of collective participation. “This program comes out of a desire to know each other better, to know our traditions better, and to deepen our connections so that we can continue along,” she added. “We’re going to be creating music more freely and in the moment, and engaging the audience as part of that process. Our hope is that the concert and the space itself will become a sanctuary for everyone.”

Silkroad will offer free public programming in several tour cities. In Bowling Green, the organization will partner with The Jar to present a communal evening of conversation, food, and shared artistic experience. In Fairfax, Silkroad will participate in the Friends of the Center for the Arts Artist-in-Conversation series at George Mason University, where the Ensemble is in its fourth year as a Mason Artist-in-Residence. In Chicago, Silkroad will collaborate with Old Town School’s Music Moves Initiative for a community dance workshop exploring trance-inspired traditions. In the Bay Area, Silkroad will partner with the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music to present curated artistic events as part of the Conservatory’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Additional community offerings will be announced on a rolling basis.

Executive Director Ben Hartley noted, “The Silkroad team is proud to offer these multi-day, free experiences for the general public—which are drawn out of conversations and engagement with local communities—to complement the debut tour of Sanctuary. We are consciously considering how we enter, engage, and exit the communities that we visit as we travel across the country, as well as contemplating how we can build this work in a way that speaks to local traditions, needs, and interests. Our hope is that these activities will be meaningful touchpoints for all involved, and that they will resonate with communities beyond the halls.”

Ticket Information

The Sanctuary tour will take place March 10–28, 2026, with performances at Bowling Green State University (March 10), Indiana University Auditorium (March 12), Harris Theater in Chicago (March 15), Zellerbach Hall presented by Cal Performances (March 19–20), Center for the Arts at George Mason University (March 22), Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre (March 26), Tilles Center for the Performing Arts (March 27), and McCarter Theatre Center (March 28). Tickets for all concerts are on sale now through presenting venues.

Major support for Sanctuary is provided in part by LaVon Kellner and Tom Roush, Diann Kim and John Frank, the Mellon Foundation, and Lori and Ted Samuels, in addition to Silkroad donors.

Yo-Yo Ma founded Silkroad in 1998 to explore cultural collaboration through shared artistic creation. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens and Executive Director Ben Hartley, Silkroad leads social impact initiatives, educational programs, and the creation of new music by the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble. More information is available at silkroad.org.