Sanctuary: The Power of Resonance and Ritual

In this episode of Sanctuary, host Rhiannon Giddens dives into the spiritual North African tradition of Gnawa music with Moroccan master Mehdi Nassouli. Mehdi shares the roots of his instrument, the guembri, its ancestral connection to the banjo, and the transformative power of lila healing ceremonies. Plus, Egyptian musician and educator Karim Nagi explores how Arabic rhythmic repetition and communal dances like the dabkeh serve as tools for resilience, cultural pride, and building community.
Featured Guests:
Mehdi Nassouli – Guembri player, vocalist, master Gnawa musician, and Silkroad collaborator
Dr. Angela Wellman – Founding Director of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
Karim Nagi – Egyptian musician, educator, and founder of the Arabiqa program
For more on Sanctuary: The Power of Resonance and Ritual, visit silkroad.org

In this episode, host Rhiannon Giddens explores sanctuary through the lens of exile and migration. Silkroad cellist and composer Karen Ouzounian traces her family's journey from Anatolia through Lebanon to Canada, sharing how Armenian melodies connected the diaspora over generations of displacement, and inspired her own compositions. Then, we hear from Ukrainian band Kommuna Lux who tour to help provide a sense of hope for communities separated from their homeland by war, and music scholar Dr. Ailbhe Kenny examines how music helps asylum seekers reclaim their identities.
Featured Guests
Karen Ouzounian – Cellist, composer, and Silkroad Ensemble member
Vladimir Gitin – Clarinettist and founding member of Kommuna Lux
Taras Luka – Accordionist and bassist with Kommuna Lux
Nicko Shevelov – Drummer with Kommuna Lux
Dr. Ailbhe Kenny – Music education researcher and author of Music Refuge: Living Asylum through Music. The song 'Khuluma isintu' (Speak to the People) featured in this episode was composed by Dr Seán Doherty for The Song Seeking Project, led by Dr. Kenny.
For more on Sanctuary: The Power of Resonance and Ritual, visit silkroad.org

In this episode of Sanctuary, host Rhiannon Giddens introduces us to Silkroad violinist and vocalist Mazz Swift to explore how improvisation can turn music into a true refuge. Mazz shares their journey of falling out of love with traditional classical spaces, and finding their voice through conduction, a system of visual cues created by composer Butch Morris to guide improvisation. We join Silkroad at community workshops at the Eastman School of Music and the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, where music making builds safe places for self-expression, and hear from members of Chicago’s D-Composed collective, whose work reclaiming community spaces and uplifting Black composers is a powerful model for healing and belonging.
Featured Guests:
Mazz Swift – Violinist, vocalist, composer, and Silkroad Ensemble member
Dr. Angela Wellman – Founding Director of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
Tristan Williams – Violist and educator at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
Khelsey Zarraga – Violinist, composer, arranger, and member of D-Composed 
Seth Pae – Violist and member of D-Composed 
For more on Sanctuary: The Power of Resonance and Ritual, visit silkroad.org.

In this episode of Sanctuary, host Rhiannon Giddens begins our journey into the ways that music serves us as a vital tool for healing and community.
Musician Mauro Durante introduces us to the pizzica, a centuries-old trance tradition from Southern Italy that began as a communal ritual to cure spider bites. Then, we look at how those same therapeutic practices apply today, from neurological music therapy at Northwestern University to music circles helping combat veterans process their PTSD through songwriting.
Featured Guests:
Mauro Durante - Violinist and percussionist, Artistic Director of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
Massimiliano Morabito - Ethnomusicologist and organettista 
Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour - Associate Professor of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Lee Haight  - Musician and Board President of Soldier Songs and Voices, NWA Chapter
For more on Sanctuary: The Power of Resonance and Ritual, visit silkroad.org.

Sanctuary: The Power of Resonance and Ritual is a new podcast hosted by Grammy Award-winning musician and Silkroad Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens. Sanctuary is produced in partnership with PRX and Silkroad.
As we mark the nation’s 250th anniversary, we reflect on the state of America today. Historically, people from all over have sought sanctuary in America. Across these different cultures, music has played an essential role in healing, community-building, and belonging.
Through interviews with artists and academics, we’ll trace the roots of this tradition and see how Silkroad melds this into their new work. Scenes will follow Silkroad artists into community events as they celebrate this cross-cultural creation, share their performances, and form new ways to connect.
Join us weekly on Thursdays as we celebrate the music, traditions, and communities that represent sanctuary.