The Spark with Tift Merritt: Rhiannon Giddens

Registration required. Register by September 23, 2021 on our website.

Available on-demand for all ticketholders for 72 hours, beginning on September 23, 2021 at 7:30 PM EDT.Suggested ticket donation (per household) is $15. Tickets available starting at $0.

Join us for The Spark with Tift Merritt, featuring award-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens, who begins her three-year artist residency with Carolina Performing Arts in spring 2022 as part of the Southern Futures initiative at CPA.

In this livestreamed series, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter and UNC alumna Tift Merritt returns to Carolina Performing Arts to take us behind the scenes in artist-to-artist video interviews that delve deep into the creative process.

Award-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens uses her art to excavate the past and reveal bold truths about our present. A MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, Giddens has a lifelong mission to lift up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been erased, and to work toward a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins. Pitchfork has said of her work, “few artists are so fearless and so ravenous in their exploration.”

Among her many diverse career highlights, Giddens has performed for the Obamas at the White House and was named the artistic director of Silkroad in 2020. She is currently writing Omar, a new opera co-commissioned by Carolina Performing Arts and Spoleto Festival USA centered on the untold story of Charleston and the American South. She first performed at CPA in 2016.

Runtime: approximately 60 minutes, including audience Q&A. Recording of CPA virtual events is not permitted. If you have questions or concerns related to accessibility, please contact us. You can also check out our livestream events guide.