Charlotte Symphony Annual Gala AN EVENING WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS Celebrates the Arts in North Carolina 

Acclaimed singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens will join Resident Conductor Christopher James Lees and the Charlotte Symphony for the CSO's annual Gala on Saturday, November 5, 2022.

The evening will celebrate North Carolina's diverse and burgeoning arts scene, featuring local artists and honoring two community leaders and long-time advocates for the arts: Charles Bowman and Michael Marsicano.

Rhiannon Giddens - a North Carolina native and recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Grant - most recently won a Grammy for Best Folk Album for They're Calling Me Home. A classically trained opera singer, Giddens's music explores America's folk traditions and sheds light on the shared history of a variety of musical traditions throughout the world.

Among her many diverse career highlights, Giddens has performed for the first family at the White House, served as a Carnegie Hall Perspectives curator, and received an inaugural Legacy of Americana Award from Nashville's National Museum of African American History in partnership with the Americana Music Association. She recently wrote the libretto and music for an original opera, Omar, based on the autobiography of the enslaved man Omar Abn Said, co produced by Spoleto Festival USA and Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

The Gala will honor community and business leaders Charles Bowman and Michael Marsicano for their long-time dedication to ensuring the success of the Arts in North Carolina. In addition to the concert, the Gala evening will include an elegant pre-concert cocktail reception, dinner, and post-concert reception with Wilmington's Port City Shakedown Band. More information about the Gala can be found here.