“The Train Station Trio” is scheduled to perform a free concert at 7 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 27 at the Art Kamangar Center at the Merced Theatre.
The concert, which kicks off UC Merced Arts’ 2024-25 season, is part of a series of open workshops generating new music as part of the multi-year American Railroad Project under the auspices of the organization Silkroad.
The highly-acclaimed project is led by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-winning artistic director Rhiannon Giddens.
Its goal is to illuminate the impact of the African American, Chinese, Indigenous, Irish and other immigrant communities on the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad and connecting railways across the United States, according to a news release.
Friday’s performance will include musicians Pura Fé on lap-steel slide guitar and vocals, Shane Shanahan on percussion and composer Michi Wiancko on violin.
The workshop is a culmination of a three-day residency where world-class musicians collaborate with local historians.
Their focus is how the building of the transcontinental railroad took the small town of Merced in California’s San Joaquin Valley and transformed it into the city it is today, the release said.
Admission is free to the concert, but reservations are required. Click here to register.
Sponsors of the free concert include UC Merced Arts, the Merced Symphony, UC Merced’s History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Department, Amtrak San Joaquins and the Community Foundation of Merced County.
Click here to learn more about UC Merced Arts’ 2024-25 season.
The Merced Theatre is located at 301 W. Main Street in downtown Merced.