Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

Silkroad Presents TRAIN STATION TRIOS: Songs & Stories Of The American Railroad

The concert is on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 2 p.m. PST.

Silkroad Presents TRAIN STATION TRIOS: Songs & Stories Of The American Railroad

Silkroad has announced a new series of concerts, Train Station Trios: Songs & Stories of the American Railroad, that is tied to its multi-year initiative led by Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens. In the series, local scholars and Silkroad artists will gather to shed light on hidden chronicles and powerful stories through new music and storytelling, painting a richer and more accurate picture of the origins of the American Empire.

The first Train Station Trios concert will be held on Saturday, February 11 at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, California. Upcoming performances are slated to take place in April and June at venues in New York and North Carolina respectively; details will be announced at a later date.

"From the beginning, an integral aspect of American Railroad has been to uncover the unseen and untold. Over the past two years, my Silkroad colleagues and I have been researching and studying, listening and learning, so that we can tell a more complete and truthful version of American history through our music. We invite audiences in California, New York, and North Carolina to join us in this process as we present the Train Station Trios concerts," said Giddens.

First made public in 2020, American Railroad is a wide-ranging initiative envisioned and conceived by Giddens to illuminate the impact of African American, Indigenous, Chinese, Irish, and other immigrant communities on the creation of the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad and connecting railways in North America. These and other populations played a fundamental role in one of the most important technological and economic achievements of the 19th century, yet their contributions have been mostly erased from history. Giddens and Silkroad are fulfilling their vision for this initiative through new commissions and performances, residencies, curriculum development and educational activities, and a host of artistic projects spanning from 2021-2026.

In Train Station Trios, members of the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble will contextualize-or rather, re-contextualize-the North American railroads through music. Trios formed by Silkroad artists will collaborate with local scholars to offer an hour-long performance that features: new music inspired by the history of the railroads, songs and tunes collected from railroad workers and the impacted communities, and storytelling with an emphasis on histories and cultural ties to the area where each concert is being held. The original and unearthed music will serve as the basis for future national tours as part of the American Railroad initiative.

For more information about American Railroad, please visit silkroad.org/american-railroad.

Saturday, February 11, 2023 at 2 p.m. PST
California State Railroad Museum (125 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814)
Tickets: Free with admission to the Museum
Artists: Mario Gotoh, violin/viola; Edward Pérez, bass; Shane Shanahan, percussion
Scholar: Anna Eng, Lecturer Faculty at San Francisco State University and University of California, Berkeley



Boston Baroque Sets 23-24 Season Featuring Beethovens Ode to Joy Symphony No. 9, Handels M Photo
Boston Baroque will celebrate its 50th Year with a season led by founding Music Director Martin Pearlman.

Cape Cod Chorale & Choral Art Society Perform 40th Celebration Concerts in May Photo
Cape Cod Chorale (CCC) and Choral Art Society of the South Shore (CAS), two of Eastern Massachusetts’ community choral ensembles, join forces this spring in honor of CCC’s 40th anniversary season in concert, performing “Mozart and Two Mendelssohns,” on Saturday, May 6, 4 pm at Scituate Center for the Performing Arts, 606 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy.

Student Blog: I Guess Ill Miss the Show (an ode to PIPPIN) Photo
Yesterday I closed my first show of college. Our show, Pippin, meant so much to me, I’m not sure how to begin. 

Swedish Folk Band Väsen Adds Second Show at Club Passim Photo
Swedish folk duo Väsen, have added a second show at Club Passim on March 30th at 9:30PM. after the first show sold out. The show sat the legendary listening room in Harvard Square will be the second to last date for the duo in the states, before heading back to Europe.


More Hot Stories For You


Cape Cod Chorale & Choral Art Society Perform 40th Celebration Concerts in MayCape Cod Chorale & Choral Art Society Perform 40th Celebration Concerts in May
March 28, 2023

Cape Cod Chorale (CCC) and Choral Art Society of the South Shore (CAS), two of Eastern Massachusetts’ community choral ensembles, join forces this spring in honor of CCC’s 40th anniversary season in concert, performing “Mozart and Two Mendelssohns,” on Saturday, May 6, 4 pm at Scituate Center for the Performing Arts, 606 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy.

Swedish Folk Band Väsen Adds Second Show at Club PassimSwedish Folk Band Väsen Adds Second Show at Club Passim
March 27, 2023

Swedish folk duo Väsen, have added a second show at Club Passim on March 30th at 9:30PM. after the first show sold out. The show sat the legendary listening room in Harvard Square will be the second to last date for the duo in the states, before heading back to Europe.

Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses Partners with Hampshire Young People's Chorus for Day of Learning and Public Concert in AmherstHandel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses Partners with Hampshire Young People's Chorus for Day of Learning and Public Concert in Amherst
March 24, 2023

The Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses are partnering with the Hampshire Young People’s Chorus for a joint concert in Amherst, MA on April 1.

Arlekin Players Presents JUST TELL NO ONE - A Multi-Media Staged ReadingArlekin Players Presents JUST TELL NO ONE - A Multi-Media Staged Reading
March 24, 2023

Arlekin Players, an award-winning, artist-driven theater company helmed by Ukrainian-born artistic director Igor Golyak, today announces a special one-night multimedia staged reading - Just Tell No One - hosted by The Huntington in Boston on April 27, 2023, 7:30pm ET in the Maso Studio. 

THE BAND'S VISIT to Open in Boston in Fall 2023THE BAND'S VISIT to Open in Boston in Fall 2023
March 23, 2023

The Huntington and SpeakEasy Stage will co-produce the Tony Award-winning musical The Band’s Visit which features music and lyrics by David Yazbek and book by Itamar Moses, as part of their respective 2023-2024 seasons.