Silkroad Unveils SANCTUARY: THE POWER OF RESONANCE AND RITUAL Tour

Silkroad has announced additional details for SANCTUARY: THE POWER OF RESONANCE AND RITUAL, its next flagship touring program conceived by Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens. The initiative follows American Railroad, which toured from 2023 to 2025, and will debut in concerts across the United States from March 10–28. Tickets for the tour are now on sale.

SANCTUARY explores music as a communal and functional art form rooted in ritual, healing, and connection. Drawing on traditions from around the world, the program examines how music has historically provided solace in times of conflict and change. The performances are built around collaboration among Silkroad artists, with arrangements taught and learned aurally and shaped through semi-improvisation, allowing each concert to evolve in real time.

The repertoire includes Southern Italian tarantellas, Moroccan Gnawa music, Hindustani classical traditions centered on the tabla, Congolese fingerstyle guitar, and American old-time music. Guest artist Mauro Durante joins Silkroad artist Francesco Turrisi in presenting tarantellas historically associated with communal ritual. Mehdi Nassouli represents Gnawa traditions that blend West African, Arab-Muslim, and Indigenous Berber influences. Sandeep Das performs Hindustani tabla music, while Niwel Tsumbu brings Congolese guitar traditions shaped by migration and global exchange. Rhiannon Giddens contributes American old-time repertoire grounded in intergenerational song traditions.

In addition to ticketed performances, Silkroad will present free public programs in partnership with local organizations at several tour stops. These events will include workshops, community jam sessions, panel discussions, and artist conversations designed to foster dialogue and connection beyond the concert hall.

Tour Roster

The touring ensemble will include Rhiannon Giddens (banjo, vocals), Shawn Conley (bass), Sandeep Das (tabla), Haruka Fujii (marimba, percussion), Maeve Gilchrist (harp, select dates), Karen Ouzounian (cello), Mazz Swift (violin, vocals), Niwel Tsumbu (guitar, vocals), Francesco Turrisi (frame drums, accordion), and Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese flutes and percussion, select dates). Guest artists will include Mauro Durante (tamburello, violin, vocals) and Mehdi Nassouli (guembri, vocals).

Tour Schedule

The tour will begin March 10 at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio (sold out), followed by March 12 at Indiana University Auditorium in Bloomington, Indiana; March 15 at Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago, Illinois; March 19–20 at Zellerbach Hall presented by Cal Performances in Berkeley, California; March 22 at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; March 26 at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre in Rochester, New York; March 27 at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, New York; and March 28 at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey.