The musical ensemble Silkroad, led by Grammy-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens, came to the IU Auditorium on March 12 to perform its newest flagship program “Sanctuary: The Power of Resonance and Ritual.”
Silkroad brings together artists from around the world to highlight the importance of communal music.
The show demonstrated this off the bat with the musicians walking to the stage through the audience, singing a chant and encouraging attendees to join. I immediately understood this performance wouldn’t be like most; we would become just as much a part of the ensemble as the musicians on stage.
The group excels in blending the different instruments together in an entrancing tune but also ensuring each one stands out and has its moment to shine.
I was immediately drawn to the bass, performed by Shawn Conley, and the cello, played by Karen Ouzounian. They played low, droning notes that imbued a sense of calm in me, reminding me of ASMR.
Giddens was also astounding on vocals. I’ve always heard people refer to the voice as a musical instrument, but watching Giddens perform was the first time I truly understood what this meant. She sang in different languages or simply vocalized, not singing any words, and her voice truly blended into the violin, accordion and bass. It was captivating to watch.
Sandeep Das performed the tabla, traditional Indian hand drums, which is one of my favorite instruments. If you’ve never had the chance to watch someone play the tabla, I highly recommend it. It is such an impressive performance to watch. Das’ movements were incredibly quick and crafted intricate rhythms that became the backbone of the songs.
I was especially intrigued by the instruments I had never seen performed live before. These included Haruka Fujii on the marimba, Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion, Mauro Durante on the tamburello and Mehdi Nassouli on the guembri. Together, these distinctive instruments brought such a fascinating sound to the performance that turned it into something I had truly never heard before.
The show also had the perfect balance of quiet and upbeat songs. They at times drew me in with an overwhelming sense of peace, and at other times made me want to stand up and dance.
One of my favorite moments was when Giddens and Durante performed a song on vocals and violin that reminded me of traditional Celtic music. It was such a beautiful performance that made me feel like a forest nymph flying around a glowing meadow.
Following this calm moment, Mazz Swift, who performed violin and voice in the show, had an impressive segment where she conducted the ensemble. One instrument at a time, she instructed Silkroad what to play until they had created a collective piece. She even included the audience, conducting us to sing along with the musicians. It was such a perfect display of how musicians can communicate with each other through their instruments, without even speaking a word.
The show ended with a lively song, led by Nassouli, where the ensemble encouraged the audience to clap along and do call and response vocals.
I noticed an audience member throughout the show at the edge of the auditorium who was standing and dancing the entire time, feeling her way through the performance. During this last song, the embrace of the music slowly spread to other audience members who got up and danced along as well. It was beautiful to watch so many people be inspired by the music without worrying about judgement. I’ve been to a lot of shows, and I have hardly ever heard the IU Auditorium cheer as loudly as they did when Silkroad took their final bows.
At the end of the performance, Giddens explained that while the audience didn’t all know each other, through singing together we had become a community. She said by joining in the performance, the audience completed the circle that started with the performers on stage. Giddens said it was now our job to carry that out into the world, loving and caring for the people around us.
This performance showed me the power music has on people. Instruments don’t need words to be understood; they don’t need to speak one specific language because they create their own universal one. When we collectively join in on that music, we transcend any barriers that lie between us; we become one.
During the show, Giddens performed the song off mic “I Know I've Been Changed” by LaShun Pace and had the audience sing with her, instructing us to repeat the simple chant of the title. As we, a room of hundreds who may never know each other, sang those same words together, I truly did feel I had been changed.
