Thu, 26 Nov 2026 19:30

Rhiannon Giddens

»Juba Zinga Jubilee« – Bringing Early Banjo Music Back Home / Reflektor Rhiannon Giddens

Tickets €32 €32

Doors open 18:30
Start 19:30

The Ancestors of the Banjo

The banjo has a history stretching back thousands of years and its origins lie in Africa: among the griots of Mali, the spiked lute known as the ngoni is regarded as the banjo’s ancestor; in Senegal, it was called the akonting. Eventually, these instruments found their way to the Caribbean via the slave trade from the 17th century onwards, where they became known as the »banjar«, with the materials used changing from wood and calabash to metal.

Exploring these surprising connections lies at the very heart of Rhiannon Giddens’s musical career. With her quartet, she opens up unexpected perspectives on an instrument that is all too often dismissed. When Giddens traces the roots of early banjo music in her project »Juba Zinga Jubilee – Bringing Early Banjo Music Back Home«, this rich history always resonates. Giddens has put together an intimate revue for the the »Reflektor« week she has curated.

With banjo, vocals, guitar, accordion and percussion, the quartet – which also includes her long-standing Italian partner Francesco Turrisi and the Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu – shatters a number of clichés, such as the notion of the banjo as a light-hearted country instrument or the idea of white dominance in this genre. Giddens has here transformed her fascinating research into the interconnections of African music in the USA into an exciting, melodious form.

Performers

Rhiannon Giddens banjo, vocals

Niwel Tsumbu guitar

Éamonn Cagney percussion

Francesco Turrisi percussion, accordion

Programme

»Juba Zinga Jubilee« – Bringing Early Banjo Music Back Home

Subscription

World Classical Music

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Festival

Reflektor Rhiannon Giddens

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Promoter: HamburgMusik

Supported by the Stiftung Elbphilharmonie

From the Mediatheque : Videos, Podcasts, Articles

Elbphilharmonie Talk with Rhiannon Giddens

The American artist talks about her »Reflektor« Festival, the origins of the banjo and why music history is always world history. #Podcast #Talk #USA250 #World

Location : Elbphilharmonie
Kleiner Saal

The Recital Hall, designed in contrast to the Grand Hall in the classic »shoebox« style, offers seating for up to 550 people.

Arrival time

The Elbphilharmonie is a special building situated in a special place. Allow for plenty of time for getting to the Elbphilharmonie and the way to the concert area. We suggest visitors arrive at the Elbphilharmonie Plaza not later than 30 minutes before the start of the concert or event. Late seating is not guaranteed and latecomers may not be admitted to the concert hall.

Concert tickets for the Grand and Recital Halls authorise a visit to the Plaza from two hours before the start of the concert or event. Visitors to the Kaistudios require a separate Plaza ticket to visit the Plaza.

Admission times:

Events without pre-concert talk:
Recital Hall Foyer: 60 minutes before the start of the event
Recital Hall: 30 minutes before the start of the event

Events with pre-concert talk:
Recital Hall Foyer: 90 minutes before the start of the event
Recital Hall: 15 minutes before the start of the talk

If a pre-concert talk is offered for this event, it is noted above under PROGRAMME.
Getting here

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Platz der Deutschen Einheit
20457 Hamburg

The Elbphilharmonie can be easily reached by bus, underground, bicycle and ferry.

The nearest stops include:
Underground line U3: Baumwall
Underground line U4: Überseequartier
Bus 2, 111: Am Kaiserkai (Elbphilharmonie)
Bus 6: Auf dem Sande (Speicherstadt)
Ferry 72 (from Landungsbrücken pier): »Elbphilharmonie« pier
StadtRAD (bicycle sharing system) stations: U Baumwall (Elbphilharmonie) and Am Kaiserkai / Großer Grasbrook

Multistorey car park in the Elbphilharmonie (open 24/7, 435 parking spaces):
Please note that visitors to the Elbphilharmonie should use the entrance marked »Elbphilharmonie«. The entrance »Elbphilharmonie Hotel« is reserved for »The Westin Hamburg« hotel guests.

Please find more information about prices and advance booking of the discounted flat rate on this page: arrival by car
Finding your seat

All visitors enter the building via the main entrance; access to the concert hall is via the Plaza, the public viewing platform on the 8th floor of the Elbphilharmonie. The Plaza can be reached from the entrance area via the Tube (long escalator) or lifts. Your tickets will be checked twice: at admissions in the main entrance area and on the Plaza in front of the staircase to the Grand or Recital Hall. Stairs and lifts lead from the Plaza to the concert hall foyers.

The Recital Hall is situated on the 10th floor and can be accessed via a stairway or lift.
Cloakroom

The cloakrooms are located in the foyer (fee: € 2). Jackets and handbags may be taken into the hall.

Walking-stick umbrellas, bags sized A3 (42 x 30 cm) or above, luggage and other bulky items must be stored in the lockers (largest size 27 x 87 x 47 cm) located in the corridor leading to the ticket shop on the ground floor (on the right-hand side of the entrance area).

Strollers and prams can be left with the admissions personnel on the Plaza. Wheeled walkers can be handed in at the hall entrances.
Toilet Facilities

Facilities for guests of the Recital Hall are located in the Recital Hall Foyer.

An accessible toilet is located in the foyer.
Coughing, clapping, chatting – Tips for your concert visit

A concert at the Elbphilharmonie is a unique experience for both audience and artists. Guests and musicians alike rave about the precise acoustics in the Grand Hall. You can hear every note, even from the highest balcony.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true: even presumably quiet noises from the audience are clearly audible in the entire hall. We therefore ask our visitors to take the following recommendations into consideration: Tips for your concert visit
Photography and video recordings

It is forbidden to take photographs or record videos during a concert or event. Video recordings and photography are permitted for private purposes only on the Plaza and in the foyers as well as before the start or following an event in the concert hall, provided that you respect the privacy of other visitors and do not interfere with regular business operations. Employees may not be photographed or filmed.

Photography, audio or video recordings of concerts and events are strictly prohibited.

Event-related video recordings or photographs for editorial or commercial purposes must be authorised by the Press Office of the Elbphilharmonie.
Accessibility

All halls and spaces are accessible for visitors with disabilities. More information at www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/accessibility.

Lifts to the Plaza are located in the tunnel on the right-hand side of the Tube (long escalator). From the Plaza, access to the Grand and Recital Hall foyers is via lifts, also located to the right. Please note: cloakrooms for visitors to the Grand Hall are only located on the 11th floor. From there, the upper floors can be accessed via further lifts.