By Jazmyn Burton
Silkroad, an arts and social-impact organization conceived by Yo-Yo Ma to highlight global music, will host its first educational residency at Spelman College.
The three-part residency includes artist intensives and creative workshops led by Silkroad’s Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens on March 15 and 16, and will culminate with an event and performance celebrating the retirement of Spelman College President Mary Schmidt Campbell, Ph.D., who significantly expanded the presence of the arts throughout the Atlanta University Center.
Featuring Silkroad artist Mazz Swift, the celebratory concert will take place during Founders Day celebration events on April 11.
“We look forward to welcoming Silkroad artists Rhiannon Giddens and Mazz Swift to Spelman’s campus this spring,” said Dr. Campbell. “This invaluable experience will deepen our student’s cultural collaboration and exchange of ideas, traditions, and innovation in music and the arts and underscores the College’s commitment to Arts@Spelman.”
Through this inaugural residency, Silkroad artists aim to guide Spelman students in expanding their creativity, developing an artistic process, and using the arts as a vehicle for storytelling. They also hope to inspire students and community members to engage with traditions from other cultures, build the courage to express themselves, and bring passion to their work. A second residency, featuring a larger group of Silkroad artists, is slated for fall 2022.
“All of us at Silkroad are thrilled to forge this new partnership with Spelman College and to contribute to students’ educational journey through exploration and exposure to diverse music and cultures. This experience will be just as enriching for us as we hope it will be for them,” said Grammy Award-winning musician and Silkroad’s Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens.
During the first part of the residency, Giddens will lead a series of artist intensives designed for students majoring in music. These will focus on improvisation, composition, coaching, and storytelling, drawing from her background as an artist-activist and historian. Giddens will also engage the Spelman community through creative workshops on music-making and storytelling, which will be open to non-music majors.
For the final part of the residency, violinist/vocalist/composer Mazz Swift—a member of the Silkroad Ensemble—will visit the College in mid-April to participate in a performance honoring Dr. Campbell
Funding Credits
Support for this residency is generously provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, who Spelman College and Silkroad gratefully acknowledge for their generous support of activities that promote innovation, education, and cross-cultural understanding through the arts.
About Silkroad
Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998, recognizing the historical Silk Road as a model for cultural collaboration—for the exchange of ideas, tradition, and innovation across borders. In a groundbreaking experiment, he brought together musicians from the lands of the Silk Road to co-create a musical language founded in difference, thus creating the foundation of Silkroad: both a touring ensemble comprised of world-class musicians from all over the globe and a social impact organization working to make a positive impact across borders through the arts.
Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad leads social impact initiatives and educational programming alongside the creation of new music by the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble.
