Rhiannon Giddens’ new opera with Michael Abels, Omar, gets its long-awaited world premiere at the College of Charleston’s Sottile Theatre in Charleston, South Carolina, tonight, as part of the Spoleto Festival USA, where it plays through June 12. Omar is based on the life and autobiography of enslaved Muslim scholar Omar Ibn Said, who was forcefully brought to Charleston from Africa in 1807. “My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be seen and heard," Giddens says, "but that can also add to the conversation about what’s going on now. This is a story that hasn’t been represented in the operatic world—or in any world.”

Though Giddens does not perform in the production, she can be hear performing the song “Julie’s Aria” from the opera on a new recording released last week, with guitarist Bill Frisell and her frequent collaborator Francesco Turrisi, last week. You can hear it here. Giddens can also be seen performing in the National Memorial Day Concert airing on PBS stations across the US on Sunday evening.

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Jeremy Denk shares stories from his new book, Every Good Boy Does Fine, illustrating his reflections with musical interludes on piano, at Hay-on-Wye in Wales on Saturday morning as part of the Hay Festival.

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Tigran Hamasyan and his trio—bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Justin Brown—perform songs from his new album, StandArt, at Salle Marcel-Hélie in Coutances, France, tonight for Jazz sous les Pommiers. StandArt—Hamasyan’s first album of American standards—includes songs from the 1920s through the 1950s, by Richard Rodgers, Charlie Parker, Jerome Kern, David Raksin, and others.

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Hurray for the Riff Raff continues to tour with songs from their Nonesuch debut album, LIFE ON EARTH, as special guest of Bright Eyes with two concerts in Florida, at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater tonight and St. Augustine Amphitheatre in St. Augustine on Saturday, and one at The Eastern in Atlanta on Sunday.

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Kronos Quartet performs at Håkonshallen in Bergen, Norway, tonight as part of the Bergen International Festival. On the program is an excerpt from Terry Riley’s Sun Rings and works by Nina Simone, Missy Mazzolli, Aleksandra Vrebalov, and more.

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Lake Street Dive plays three shows in upstate New York this weekend: at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in Lafayette tonight, Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown as special guests of The Avett Brothers on Saturday, and at Artpark in Lewiston on Sunday.

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Joshua Redman and Christian McBride perform at Wigmore Hall in London on Saturday night—the third concert in McBride’s Wigmore residency this season. The bassist was part of the original Joshua Redman Quartet, along with pianist Brad Mehldau and drummer Brian Blade, and can be heard on their 1994 debut album, MoodSwing, and the 2020 album that reunited all four musicians, RoundAgain.

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Caroline Shaw and Attacca Quartet perform at AMP by Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday as part of the Woco Festival. Earlier in the day, Shaw takes part in a composer panel to talk about inspiration and obstacles in making music. Shaw and Attacca’s 2019 album, Orange, won the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music / Small Ensemble Performance.

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Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway perform in Cumberland, Maryland, on Sunday as part of DelFest. Their new album, Crooked Tree, Tuttle’s Nonesuch debut, was recorded live in Nashville, produced by Tuttle and Jerry Douglas, and features collaborations with Sierra Hull, Old Crow Medicine Show, Margo Price, Billy Strings, Dan Tyminski, and Gillian Welch. The thirteen tracks, all written or co-written by Tuttle, explore her lifelong love of bluegrass.

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Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival takes place on various stages at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, all weekend. The festival features performances by the band and its various offshoots. Also on the Sold Sound lineup this year is Daughter of Swords—Mountain Man's Alexandra Sauser-Monnig—who plays a set on Sunday.