Rhiannon Giddens

ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY PRESENTS
TWO-TIME GRAMMY ® AWARD-WINNER,
RHIANNON GIDDENS,
AT THE MILLER THEATER AS A PART OF
THE 2025–26 JAZZ SERIES,
MAY 5, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 22, 2026) – Ensemble Arts Philly welcomes two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, instrumentalist, and MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient Rhiannon Giddens to the Miller Theater on May 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. As a part of the 2025–26 Jazz Series, Giddens is back in Philadelphia, highlighting her far-reaching artistry, deep historical inquiry, and groundbreaking contributions to American music. This event is welcomed by WXPN.

Over the course of her singular career, Rhiannon Giddens has emerged as one of the most visionary and influential artists of the 21st century, continually expanding the boundaries of contemporary music while illuminating overlooked narratives of the American musical tradition. A two-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Pulitzer Prize recipient, and celebrated composer of opera, ballet, and film, Giddens has built a body of work defined by fearless exploration, rigorous scholarship, and transformative storytelling.

As Pitchfork has written, “few artists are so fearless and so ravenous in their exploration” – a sentiment reflected across the vast spectrum of her creative pursuits. NPR named her one of its “25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century,” and American Songwriter hailed her as “one of the most important musical minds currently walking the planet.”

Giddens has released three solo albums as well as two critically acclaimed collaborations with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi. In 2024, she joined the Silkroad Ensemble for American Railroad, a groundbreaking project reexamining the untold musical legacies behind the building of the transcontinental railroad. Her forthcoming collaborative album with Justin Robinson, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, was released in April 2025.

A founding member of the landmark Black string band Carolina Chocolate Drops and the all-female banjo collective Our Native Daughters, Giddens is as much a curator and cultural historian as she is a creator. She currently serves as Artistic Director of the Silkroad Ensemble – founded by Yo-Yo Ma – and hosts the PBS television program My Music with Rhiannon Giddens. Her work in public media includes hosting the acclaimed podcasts Aria Code and American Railroad. She has also appeared as a recurring cast member on ABC’s hit drama Nashville and as a featured music historian in Ken Burns’ PBS documentary Country Music.

“Rhiannon Giddens is a force; an artist whose scholarship, creativity, and imagination helps shape our understanding of music,” said Frances Egler, Vice President of Theatrical Programming and Presentations. “Returning to our stage after ten years – she last performed at the Kimmel Center as part of our 2016 gala – Giddens has only continued to evolve, with work that invites audiences to listen deeply and connect more fully.”

Giddens continues to collaborate with leading voices across classical, folk, jazz, and global music traditions, consistently demonstrating an unparalleled ability to weave together past and present. Her performances – equal parts virtuosity, narrative, and cultural restoration – have cemented her place among the most essential and forward-thinking artists of her generation.

Other featured upcoming performances in the 2025–26 Jazz Series include Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (May 26, 2026, Marian Anderson Hall inside the Kimmel Center) and Herbie Hancock (July 29, 2026, Marian Anderson Hall inside the Kimmel Center).

Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org, by calling 215-893-1999, or in person at the Academy of Music Box Office (240 S. Broad Street) daily from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. For more information, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.

WXPN Welcomes Rhiannon Giddens
Miller Theater
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, 7:30 p.m.

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