Julies Aria MP3 Single

Rhiannon Giddens performs Julies Aria, a song from Omar, the new opera she wrote with Michael Abels, on this recording with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi and guitarist Bill Frisell. Omar is based on the life and autobiography of enslaved Muslim American Omar Ibn Said, who was forcefully brought to Charleston, SC, 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, but that can also add to the conversation about whats going on now, Giddens tells the New York Times. This is a story that hasnt been represented in the operatic worldor in any world.