News

Local foundation awarded grant to support 'My Music with Rhiannon Giddens'

The cast and crew of 'My Music with Rhiannon Giddens' pose at Greensboro's restored train depot.

By Bill Moss, Published: October 26, 2023

The Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation has been awarded $40,000 in grants by the Community Foundation of Henderson County and its Perry N. Rudnick Endowment to help fund Season 2 of the nationally-distributed PBS series My Music with Rhiannon Giddens.

“It’s been an immensely successful and exciting year for Rhiannon, for us, and for the show” said Will McIntyre, series producer and chairman of the Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation, which is based in Henderson County. “Just as our first season was premiering in May, Rhiannon was named a co-winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Then she released a new album (titled You’re the One) to rave reviews and appearances on CBS Sunday Morning and The Daily Show. Now we’re filming our second PBS season on tour with her and Silkroad Ensemble.”

Rhiannon is artistic director of Silkroad, the cross-cultural music organization founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The current tour and Season 2 of the PBS series focuses on the traditional music of immigrants who built America’s transcontinental railroad.

"The American Railroad project has been years in the making,” says Rhiannon. “The content we've planned for Season 2 merges the music of diverse folk traditions with Silkroad's unique ability to amplify voices from a multitude of backgrounds. The result is a musical tapestry that is part of our multifaceted cultural identity.”

Series director Deni McIntyre says “We filmed an episode in July at the restored Greensboro train depot, which is just a gorgeous place to work.” The episode features traditional Celtic harpist Maeve Gilchrist with Rhiannon, who is a Greensboro native.

Season 2 of My Music with Rhiannon Giddens will also feature Chinese pipa player Wu Man, Japanese percussionist Haruka Fuji, Indian tabla virtuoso Sandeep Das, violinist and vocalist Mazz Swift, and NC native Pura Fé Crescioni. Filming will wind up in January at the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer.

My Music with Rhiannon Giddens premiered on PBS in May of this year. In addition to Season 1 of the current series, Will and Deni McIntyre previously produced six seasons of David Holt's State of Music, which has been aired by PBS affiliates in all 50 states.

The Community Foundation of Henderson County supports charitable programs in the greater Henderson County area. Founded in 1982, the Community Foundation administers more than 500 funds with total assets of more than $130 million. In addition to the latest grant, The Perry N. Rudnick Endowment Fund and CFHC have helped support Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation’s two PBS series through grants totaling more than $100,000.

The Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation is a charitable nonprofit that was established in 2009 to raise the profile of the arts and educational organizations through the creation of videos, books and photography for websites and related media. It is the prime fundraising entity for My Music with Rhiannon Giddens.