Rhiannon Giddens Wins Pulitzer Prize for Music Twice

Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels have won the Pulitzer Prize for music for their opera "Omar," which tells the story of Omar Ibn Said, a Muslim scholar who was captured in Africa and sold into slavery in Charleston, S.C. The opera features a multigenre, multicultural score that blends elements of Islam, bluegrass, spirituals, and more. Giddens wrote the libretto based on Said's autobiography, and Abels composed the music. The duo hopes to record the opera in the future and continue collaborating.