Rhiannon Giddens begins a tour of the UK and Ireland with music from her new album, Freedom Highway, at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London tonight. The tour continues with concerts in Bristol, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Pocklington, Manchester, Dublin, Glasgow, and Gateshead. She joins Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne in France in December.

Congratulations to Robert Plant, who has been named the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Americana Music Association UK. It is the group's highest honor and goes to a UK artist for outstanding contribution to the Americana genre over the span of a career. And congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, who has been nominated for International Artist of the Year at the 2018 UK Americana Awards. The awards show will take place on February 1, 2018, at the Hackney Empire in East London.

Congratulations to singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter Rhiannon Giddens, who has been named a MacArthur Fellow. Giddens is among the twenty-four new MacArthur Fellow for 2017, selected by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The annual fellowship, often referred to as the "Genius" grant, awards individuals who, in the Foundation's words, "have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction." Watch Giddens discuss her work and the fellowship in a MacArthur Foundation video here.

Rhiannon Giddens delivered the keynote address at the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Association business conference held in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday, September 26. Here are her remarks, titled "Community and Connection."

Rhiannon Giddens has been announced as the guest curator for the 2018 Cambridge Folk Festival, its 54th year, August 2–5, 2018. "I am honoured to be the next guest curator for Cambridge Folk Festival," says Giddens. "Having played the Festival before I know how special Cambridge is and I am really excited to be contributing to the line-up next year as well as performing." She is currently touring North America and heads to the UK and Ireland on tour in November.

Rhiannon Giddens was a guest on NPR's World Cafe. She and Dirk Powell, with whom she co-produced her new album, Freedom Highway, spoke with NPR Music's Ann Powers and performed three songs from the album: "At the Purchaser's Option," "The Love We Almost Had," and "Freedom Highway." "There are very few artists who can bring the past into the present in a way that captures both the nuance of history and the immediacy of now," says World Cafe host Talia Schlanger. "But Rhiannon Giddens has done it, beautifully, on her second solo album, Freedom Highway."

Folk Songs, a new album joining Kronos Quartet with Nonesuch Records labelmates Sam Amidon, Olivia Chaney, Rhiannon Giddens, and Natalie Merchant is out now. The artists on the album first came together to perform these songs, most of which are traditional with contemporary arrangements, when Nonesuch celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014 with festivals at the Barbican Centre and Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). The group later recorded the songs with Doug Petty as the album's producer. You can take a quick look at the project in an album trailer here.

Rhiannon Giddens was a guest on the Tavis Smiley show on PBS. She spoke with Smiley about the inspiration behind her new album, Freedom Highway, and gives a solo performance of "Julie," one of nine original songs she wrote or co-wrote for the album. "What I wanted was a way to tell those stories, but I’m a musician and they wanted to become songs," Giddens tells Smiley. "I didn't have a choice really." Watch the segment here.

Kronos Quartet and Rhiannon Giddens have shared their recording of her "Lullaby," arranged by Punch Brothers' Gabe Witcher, from the new album Folk Songs, due June 9. You can hear it here. On the album, Kronos joins forces with labelmates Giddens, Sam Amidon, Olivia Chaney, and Natalie Merchant to perform mostly traditional tunes with contemporary arrangements. "Lullaby" is available to download now with pre-orders of Folk Songs, along with the previously released track "The Butcher's Boy," featuring Merchant.

Rhiannon Giddens was on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross today. She discusses her new album, Freedom Highway, and performs "At the Purchaser's Option" and "Julie," two of nine original songs she wrote or co-wrote for the album, which also includes a traditional tune and two civil rights–era songs. You can hear the episode here. Giddens performs at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in NYC and World Café Live in Philadelphia this weekend; the tour resumes in June and continues through the summer.

Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens, whose new album, Freedom Highway, has been nominated for Album of the Year, top honors at the 2017 Americana Honors & Awards, announced earlier today by the Americana Music Association. The Americana Honors & Awards show returns to the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on September 13, 2017.

Rhiannon Giddens will tour the UK and Ireland this autumn, bringing music from her new album, Freedom Highway, to London, Bristol, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Pocklington, Manchester, Dublin, Glasgow, and Gateshead.