Rhiannon Giddens, the Guest Curator of the 2018 Cambridge Folk Festival, has selected the performers she has invited to the Festival this summer. She has chosen an eclectic collection of artists from both sides of the Atlantic: Peggy Seeger, Kaia Kater, Birds of Chicago, Amythyst Kiah, and Yola Carter will be introduced by Giddens before each takes to the stage at Cherry Hinton Hall this August 2–5.

"When I was asked, 'Do you want to curate the Cambridge Folk Festival?,' I remember being immediately interested," says Giddens. "I didn't really know what curating was at the time, but I loved the Festival so much I thought anything that would have me coming back is a really good thing. Then I found out I'd get to be there the whole time, I never get to do that! Usually I perform my set and am out the next day, so to have an opportunity to actually be somewhere for four days. I wanted to experience the whole thing, it's irresistible."

In addition to her curatorial duties, Giddens will perform on Stage 1 on Saturday. (She previously performed at the Cambridge Folk Festival with Carolina Chocolate Drops and as a solo artist; other Nonesuch artists to have performed there include Natalie Merchant, Punch Brothers, Olivia Chaney, and Rokia Traoré.) Headliners for this year's festival include First Aid Kit on Friday, Patti Smith and her band on Saturday, and John Prine on closing night, Sunday. For all of the details and to purchase tickets, visit cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk.

Back in the States, Rhiannon Giddens will give the keynote address at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville this Saturday and give a master class at the Women in Music festival in Los Angeles before performing there on Sunday. Her US tour resumes at the Savannah Music Festival in mid-April. For more tour details and tickets, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.