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.

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