Bassist

Composer, vocalist, and banjo virtuoso Rhiannon Giddens is perhaps the hardest working and most decorated woman in modern roots music—with two Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and a MacArthur “Genius” grant to her credit. Hot on the heels of her April 2025 release with fellow Carolina Chocolate Drops member Justin Robinson, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, Giddens returns to Berkeley leading a stellar five-piece string band in a supremely original romp through Black American music—from the blues, to country, to swing. “Few artists are so fearless and so ravenous in their exploration” (Pitchfork).

Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue

Cal Performances

EPSG:4326

Rhiannon Giddens and The Old-Time Revue

The Royal Conservatory of Music

Led by Congolese guitarist and singer Niwel Tsumbu, a prominent figure in Ireland’s music scene, Ko Tonga Cheol exemplifies the contemporary identity of Irish music and the positive impact of migration on culture.

Ko Tonga Cheol

Field Arts & Events Hall

Singer and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens’ iconic brand of folk music spotlights people whose contributions to American musical history have been overlooked or erased, and advocates for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art. A two-time Grammy Award winner, MacArthur fellow and composer, she was awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her debut opera Omar. Her highly-anticipated new solo album, You’re the One, releases in August.

Bassist

Jason Sypher

Events

Past events

Jun 21, 2025

Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue · Cal Performances

15 - 16 May, 2025

Rhiannon Giddens and The Old-Time Revue · The Royal Conservatory of Music

About

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