Rhiannon Giddens has announced the launch of her first-ever festival, Biscuits & Banjos, a celebration of Black music, art, and culture to take place April 25–27, 2025, in downtown Durham, in her home state of North Carolina. The event commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Black Banjo Gathering, which launched Giddens' career and led to the formation of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who will reunite to headline the festival. A portion of both ticket sales and merchandise income will go to Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross gave an encore broadcast to Carolina Chocolate Drops' 2010 interview and performance on the show. Original band members Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons, and Justin Robinson spoke with host Terry Gross about their then newly-released Nonesuch debut album, Genuine Negro Jig, which went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. You can hear the episode here.

The new series My Music with Rhiannon Giddens premiered on PBS stations across the US this week. In the inaugural episode, Rhiannon Giddens visits with three lifelong friends: Justin Robinson, one of her fellow Carolina Chocolate Drops co-founders; her sister, singer Lalenja Harrington; and singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett. You can watch it here.

Rhiannon Giddens and the Carolina Chocolate Drops will be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame this October. "I'm so honored to be part of the 2016 class of inductees into the NC Music Hall of Fame," says Giddens. "Being from North Carolina has been such a big part of what I do and will remain so for the rest of my life; being a mentee of Joe Thompson and starting the Carolina Chocolate Drops along with Dom Flemons and Justin Robinson are among the things of my life that I am most proud of. Happy to be in such good company as the Avett Brothers, David Holt, my fellow Chocolate Drops, and other fine musicians. Carolina forever!"

The Americana Music Association announced today its nominations for the 2015 Americana Honors & Awards, and among the nominees are Rhiannon Giddens for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for her T Bone Burnett-produced solo debut album, Tomorrow Is My Turn; Punch Brothers for Duo/Group of the Year; and Carolina Chocolate Drops' own Hubby Jenkins for Instrumentalist of the Year. The Americana Honors & Awards return to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 16.

Rhiannon Giddens, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founding member of Carolina Chocolate Drops, makes her solo recording debut with Tomorrow Is My Turn, due February 10 on Nonesuch Records (vinyl due March 3). The album, produced by T Bone Burnett, features a broad range of songs from genres as diverse as gospel, jazz, blues, and country, including works made famous by Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Odetta, and Nina Simone. Nonesuch Store pre-orders on CD and vinyl include an instant download of the album tracks "Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind" and "Shake Sugaree" (both of which you can hear here) and an exclusive print autographed by Giddens. 

Carolina Chocolate Drops close out the summer and kick off the fall touring season at the Brooklyn Academy of Music tonight for the Nonesuch Records at BAM celebration of the label's 50th anniversary. (Rhiannon Giddens also joins label mates Kronos Quartet and others for another concert in the series on Saturday.) The band's US tour includes sets at the FreshGrass Bluegrass Festival in Massachusetts, the LA Bluegrass Situation, and stops in the West, Midwest, and South.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music's wide-ranging series of concerts and events Nonesuch Records at BAM: Celebrating a Label Without Labels, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Nonesuch Records, kicks off Tuesday night with the first of three consecutive nights of concerts from Philip Glass and Steve Reich plus a separate solo set from Brad Mehldau and continues through September 28. The New York Times says the series "reflects the broad curiosity and high standard of a label that has had notable successes ... with no guiding criteria other than instinct and taste." In conjunction with these events, BAMcinématek presents Nonesuch Records on Film, a salute to the label’s rich catalogue of movie soundtracks.

Carolina Chocolate Drops, during a summer tour stop in Colorado, sat down, or rather rode up the mountain for a Gondola Session in Aspen, performing "Trouble in Your Mind," off its 2010 Grammy Award-winning Nonesuch debut album, Genuine Negro Jig, plus "Pretty Little Girl with the Blue Dress On." Watch them here. The band closes out the summer and kicks off its fall touring season with a special performance: at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on September 18 for the Nonesuch Records at BAM celebration of the label's 50th anniversary. Chocolate Drop Rhiannon Giddens joins label mates Kronos Quartet, Natalie Merchant, Sam Amidon, and Olivia Chaney for another concert in the series on September 20.

Carolina Chocolate Drops kick off a summer tour of the United States and Europe at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, tonight, followed by sets at the Chicago Blues Festival and Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival this weekend. The tour includes shows across the US, including the Midwest, East Coast, West Coast, and more, before heading to the UK and Europe in late August. The band hits the road in the US again this fall. 

Carolina Chocolate Drops' Rhiannon Giddens is featured on the latest episode of Nurse Jackie, airing on Showtime this Sunday, April 20. She performs four traditional tunes, backed by her bandmate Hubby Jenkins and three other old-time musicians, with Giddens doing square dance calls and playing fiddle. The episode is available now via Showtime's online streaming service, Showtime Anytime. The New York Times, reviewing Carolina Chocolate Drops' recent show in Brooklyn, called it a "rollicking, revelatory concert," lauding Giddens as "ridiculously charismatic." Times columnist Paul Krugman called the show "totally amazing."

Rhiannon Giddens, co-founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, receives the 2014 Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award from St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, NC, today. The Sam Ragan Fine Arts Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions to the Fine Arts of North Carolina. "Honorees are persons who have, over a long period, been outstanding practitioners of their art," says Ron Bayes, distinguished professor of creative writing Emeritus, "and who have selflessly shared their talent with other creators, working in their primary genre and beyond."