Rhiannon Giddens Laffan

Rhiannon Giddens is an artist of extraordinary calibre – a musician, composer and cultural leader whose work resonates far beyond the stage. Living in Limerick in Monaleen, she brings international acclaim to Ireland while remaining deeply rooted in her commitment to justice, human rights and the transformative power of music. Her artistry is matched only by her advocacy, making her one of the most compelling voices in contemporary culture. 

Rhiannon’s achievements speak for themselves. She holds honorary doctorates from Princeton University (2023) and Duke University (2024), affirming her influence in both artistic and academic spheres. In 2023, she received the Pulitzer Prize for Music for co-composing the opera Omar with Michael Abels. This groundbreaking work is based on the autobiography of Omar ibn Said, a West African Muslim scholar enslaved in North Carolina. The opera is not just music; it is a reclamation of history, a bold act of storytelling that amplifies voices long silenced. Rhiannon also composed one of the few ballets for a Black prima ballerina, Black Lucy and the Bard, with collaborator Francesco Turrisi. Underscoring her role as a visionary thinker and creator, she became a MacArthur Fellow in October 2017 when she was awarded the prestigious Genius Grant. 

Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Rhiannon is a gifted singer and master of the banjo and fiddle. Her versatility has earned her two Grammy Awards and 10 additional nominations, including a 2026 Best Folk Album nomination, along with collaborator Justin Robinson, for What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow. Recently, she made headlines by playing banjo on Beyoncé’s chart-topping country hit Texas Hold ’Em, a collaboration that bridges genres and challenges boundaries. For the past four years, she has served as artist-in-residence at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, enriching UL’s cultural life with her presence and expertise. 

Rhiannon Giddens’s career is a tapestry of remarkable moments: performing for President and Mrs. Obama at the White House, appearing in two seasons of the hit television series Nashville, and being featured in Ken Burns’s acclaimed PBS documentary Country Music. She has been profiled by major outlets, including CBS Sunday Morning, The New York Times, and NPR’s Fresh Air. In 2019, she co-founded Our Native Daughters, a band of four Black female banjo players whose album Songs of Our Native Daughters tells powerful stories of historic Black womanhood and survival. Critics have hailed her work as fearless and electrifying: Pitchfork calls her “fearless and ravenous in her exploration” while Smithsonian Magazine describes her as “an artist who brings alive the memories of forgotten predecessors, white and black.” 

Rhiannon’s journey began with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the Grammy-winning group she co-founded after studying with legendary string band elder Joe Thompson. Their music revived the sounds of African American string band traditions – blues, jug-band tunes and other Americana styles – and sparked a movement that inspired countless Black musicians to reclaim traditional instruments like the banjo and fiddle. In 2025, Rhiannon founded a festival – Biscuits and Banjos – in Durham, North Carolina to further encourage that reclamation. Her academic roots are equally impressive: as an alumna of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, where she studied opera, Rhiannon combines rigorous training with boundless creativity. 

Her mission is clear: to use music as a tool for truth-telling and justice. She draws from a vast palette of blues, jazz, gospel, folk and classical and infuses her work with African American, Celtic, Appalachian and Italian influences. Named by NPR as one of the 25 Most Influential Women Musicians of the 21st Century, Rhiannon has dedicated her career to amplifying voices that have been erased from the historical record. Discovering the legacy of African American string bands as a young musician changed her life and set her on a path to challenge dominant narratives and introduce audiences to the Black banjoists and fiddlers who shaped American music. 

Rhiannon’s leadership extends beyond performance. In 2020, she became Artistic Director of the Silkroad Ensemble, an internationally acclaimed collective founded by Yo-Yo Ma. Under Rhiannon’s guidance, Silkroad continues its mission of creating music that sparks cultural collaboration and promotes arts education. Through this role, she champions diversity and dialogue, using music as a bridge between traditions and communities. Members of Silkroad recently visited UL, and students had the unique opportunity to observe their rehearsals. This is indicative of Rhiannon’s ongoing connection with the university and its cultural ambitions. 

Rhiannon’s influence also reaches television and podcast audiences. She hosts PBS’s My Music with Rhiannon Giddens and appears in numerous documentaries, including Samuel L. Jackson’s Enslaved, which explores the African roots of the banjo. Her work consistently illuminates the intersections of music, history and identity, inviting audiences to confront uncomfortable truths while celebrating resilience and creativity. 

What sets Rhiannon apart is not only her talent but her courage. She moves effortlessly between genres and roles as performer, composer, educator and advocate, all the while remaining steadfast in her belief that music can change the world. Her artistry is a call to action, reminding us that cultural heritage is not static but living, breathing and evolving. Through her work, she challenges accepted truths and builds bridges across time and space. 

In every sense, Rhiannon Giddens embodies the transformative power of the arts. Her presence in Ireland enriches our cultural landscape, and her global influence elevates conversations about justice, identity and belonging. She is not just an artist – she is a force of nature, a fearless innovator whose music speaks to the deepest truths of the human experience. As she continues to create, collaborate and inspire, Rhiannon reminds us that art is not a luxury but a necessity, a vital instrument for understanding our past, shaping our present and imagining a more just future. 

Chancellor, I present to you Rhiannon Giddens Laffan and ask that you confer upon her the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters.