This compelling reimagining of Silkroad’s acclaimed American Railroad program features an intimate, powerful ensemble of eight world-class musicians led by internationally renowned pipa master Wu Man.
The program weaves a sonic tapestry that honors the often-overlooked contributions of Indigenous and African Americans, along with Chinese, Irish, Japanese, and other immigrant communities who laid the tracks that transformed a nation. Amplifying the voices of those who built the railroads—and those displaced by them—the Silkroad Ensemble reveals a richer, more inclusive portrait of America’s past.
🪟WINDOWS PRE-CONCERT EVENTS🪟
American Railroad: Cultural Intersections Along a Ribbon of Steel
📅Mon, October 13, 2025
📍Music Center at Strathmore
⏰5:30pm
🎟️Free with show ticket! RSVP Required
The building of the Transcontinental Railroad was an era-defining event that remains a powerful focal point for understanding America's relationship to its land and peoples. Join Rick Davis, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University, for a lecture on the Silkroad Ensemble's "American Railroad" project in the context of this legacy. Silkroad artists make brief appearances on video to talk about the development of aspects of the work, and Professor Davis shares examples of how additional art forms, including poetry and painting, responded to this transformational technology.
Voices from the American Railroad: Indigenous and Immigrant Stories from My Music with Rhiannon Giddens
📅Mon, October 13, 2025
📍AFI Silver Theatre & Cultural Center
⏰6:30pm
🎟️ Free, RSVP Required
Join Strathmore and AFI Silver on Indigenous People’s Day for a powerful evening exploring the untold stories of the immigrant and indigenous peoples that helped build America’s Transcontinental Railroad. This two-episode film screening and talk with the producers of My Music with Rhiannon Giddens is an opportunity to go deeper into understanding the untold stories and amplifying unheard voices from these communities. Then, come back on on November 16 see Strathmore’s presentation of Silkroad Ensemble's American Railroad.
Rails, Rhythms, and Revolution
The Transcontinental Railroad’s Impact on Arts
📅Mon, October 25, 2025
📍Eaton House (1203 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20005)
⏰7pm
🎟️ Free, RSVP Required
Join us for an illuminating exploration of the artistic impact of the Transcontinental Railroad, and its enduring legacy on our nation's cultural landscape. This lecture places the Silkroad Ensemble's groundbreaking American Railroad project in the context of a mammoth historical event that remains a powerful metaphor for America's relationship to its land and peoples.
🔗Learn more and register for our Windows series: strathmore.org/windows
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