Rick Davis

Mason Artist-in-Residence Silkroad Ensemble Leads Events Across Campus and Community

Zoe Harr — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 15:52:41 +0000

Mason Artist-in-Residence Silkroad Ensemble Leads Events Across Campus and Community Zoe Harr Fri, 10/27/2023 - 11:52

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Learn About Mason Artist-in-Residence Program

Returning for their second of three years as a Mason Artist-in-Residence, Silkroad Ensemble and Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens present the world premiere of American Railroad, an initiative that maps American music through the various communities involved in building the late-1800s Transcontinental Railroad and its connecting railways. In its description of the project, Silkroad explains that though corporations and the American government financed the railroad, the people who built it are the focus of this program—Indigenous and African Americans as well Irish, Chinese, Japanese, and other immigrant laborers whose contributions have been largely erased from history. American Railroad highlights untold stories and amplifies unheard voices from these communities.

“The American Railroad project has been years in the making, and the program we've created for our first tour is only the beginning. In it, we shed light on those who have been erased or overlooked throughout American history and merge with it Silkroad's unique ability to amplify voices from a multitude of backgrounds and cultures. The result is a tapestry of stories, traditions, and musics that have shaped our multifaceted cultural identity, and that must be heard and recognized,” stated Giddens.

Want to learn more about the American Railroad project? Read Silkroad Ensemble’s description.

As a Mason Artist-in-Residence, Silkroad artists will also work with the community through classes and workshops surrounding the performance, which are detailed below.

In a session with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), three Silkroad artists—Karen Ouzounian (cello/vocals), Shawn Conley (bass), and Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese flutes/percussion)—will lead a musical morning that includes individual demonstrations and a participatory Q&A with OLLI participants.
Silkroad Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens joins Silkroad artist Mazz Swift in a “Beyond the Note” Roundtable event, cohosted by the Dewberry School of Music, that includes conversation with BIPOC College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) students Darren Badley, Telah Harper, and Alyssa Cabassa, as they discuss the successes and challenges experienced by BIPOC musicians and artists.
As part of Mason’s Folklore Program, the course “Global Folklore” taught by Professor Debra Lattanzi Shutika will be joined by Silkroad artist Kaoru Watanabe (Japanese flutes/percussion) and guest artists on the American Railroad program Pura Fé Crescioni (lap-steel guitar/vocals) and Francesco Turrisi (frame drums/accordion) for a special class session that will include musical demonstrations and a participatory Q&A with more than 70 students in attendance.

Silkroad Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens joins Silkroad Ensemble at the Center on Nov. 5.

In addition to the activities above, multiple Silkroad artists have taken part in a semester-long Mason Honors College course for fall 2023, “The Silk Road and the Railroad: An artistic exploration of the Transcontinental Railroad in American history and culture.” Taught by College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis, this academic course explores the many cultures, histories, music, and narratives of the Transcontinental Railroad, providing context to Silkroad’s newest initiative. Earlier this semester, Silkroad artists visited the class for discussions and will offer an opportunity for students to watch a Silkroad Ensemble rehearsal prior to the November 5 performance.

To learn more about this fall 2023 Honors College course, check out a recent article with Professor Rick Davis.

Get your tickets today and join Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens on November 5 for the powerful world-premiere performance of American Railroad.

Topics

CFA

Mason Artists-in-Residence

Rick Davis

folklore

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) School of Music

Dewberry School of Music

OLLI

Honors College

Campus News

Exploring the American Railroad with GRAMMY-winning Silkroad Ensemble

Zoe Harr — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 16:31:33 +0000

Exploring the American Railroad with GRAMMY-winning Silkroad Ensemble Zoe Harr Wed, 09/27/2023 - 12:31

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Learn About Mason Artist-in-Residence Program

In March 2023, the GRAMMY Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble debuted their program, Uplifted Voices, at the Center for the Arts, launching their three-year arc as a Mason Artist-in-Residence. Now, Silkroad Ensemble returns for its second year of residency with the world premiere of its program American Railroad on November 5. Various members of Silkroad Ensemble will engage the community through a variety of events, classes, and discussions, including semester-long participation in a fall 2023 Mason Honors College course, “The Silk Road and the Railroad: An artistic exploration of the Transcontinental Railroad in American history and culture.”

Taught by College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis, this academic course will explore the many cultures, histories, music, and narratives of the Transcontinental Railroad, providing context to Silkroad Ensemble’s newest initiative to map American music through the various immigrant communities involved in building the late-1800s Transcontinental Railroad. To learn more about this class and its connection to Silkroad Ensemble’s upcoming November performance, the Center asked Dean Rick Davis to expand upon the course.

Silkroad members, including violinist Mazz Swift, will participate virtually in Mason's "The Silk Road and the Railroad" course.

What is the significance of Mason offering this semester-long academic course in conjunction with the Silkroad Ensemble’s culminating concert at the Center for the Arts?

A key mission of the Center for the Arts is to bring the voice of professional artists into close contact with Mason students, both in the arts and beyond. It is particularly exciting when those students represent a wide range of interests. My current Honors College class comprises more than 15 different academic majors and a like number of minors, from Forensic Science to Engineering to Economics to Modern Languages. Everyone brings their own perspective to the subject, while engaging with the artists of Silkroad Ensemble in ways that demonstrate the universality and power of the arts to ask questions and tell stories that resonate across cultures and disciplines.

In what ways is this new project from Silkroad Ensemble, American Railroad, relevant to modern audiences?

I think it's a brilliant idea to bring the vast metaphor of the Silk Road, that connector of cultures and shaper of economies, closer to home by focusing on the Transcontinental Railroad (and, by extension, railroads more generally) as a transformative element in American history. The cultural connections and clashes that the railroad created (including indigenous and enslaved populations), the role of immigrants in its construction, the very idea that for the first time one could move people and goods quickly across this vast continent—all represent huge shifts in the way our country grew and thought about itself. That, in turn, created songs, stories, paintings, and photographs that still resonate today. The Silkroad Ensemble have studied this very deeply and are creating a variety of original responses. As a symbol of profound change, the railroad has few equals and we are always seeking to understand and live with change, today and every day.

Get your tickets today and join Silkroad Ensemble on November 5 for its stunning world-premiere performance of American Railroad.

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Podcast on the arts at Mason with Dean Rick Davis

Pam Muirheid — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 20:08:10 +0000

Podcast on the arts at Mason with Dean Rick Davis Pam Muirheid Wed, 09/15/2021 - 16:08

In This Story

Rick Davis

Christopher d'Amboise

Dean Rick Davis

The Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at ��AV (GMU) Rick Davis joined us for a very interesting chat about educational programs and careers in the arts. Find out about the many diverse arts programs available to students at GMU, why their School of Arts is an amazing success story, why the arts are so important, and his insight and advice about the benefits of an arts education. Also get all the details on the upcoming productions at the Hylton Performing Arts Center and the opening of a GMU gallery in the Latitudes building in Virginia Square.

Listen to the show here.

This story first appeared in Embracing Arlington Arts.

Topics

Rick Davis

Hylton Center

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)