RHIANNON GIDDENS, CURTIS STONE, ARI SHAPIRO, SELEMA MASEKELA JOIN WONDRIUM PROGRAMMING LINE UP

Exclusive limited instructional series will focus on the unheard history of the banjo, everyday cooking, effective storytelling, and the latest science in psychedelics

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CHANTILLY, Va., Feb. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy Award-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens, celebrity and Michelin-starred chef Curtis Stone, award-winning NPR host Ari Shapiro, and television host and producer Selema Masekela, are heading to Wondrium. Each will lead an exclusive limited instructional series for the leading global streaming provider of nonfiction learning content.

"Rhiannon Giddens, Curtis Stone, Ari Shapiro, and Selema Masekela are established cultural forces who each bring invaluable lessons to our engaged and avid subscriber base," said Paul Suijk, President & CEO of Wondrium. "We're thrilled that they've chosen Wondrium as a destination to empower and enrich others with their skills and knowledge."

For the first time, Giddens will take her art and life's work to screen in the 10-part limited series, The Banjo: Music, History, and Heritage. Told through the lens of an electrifying musician whose identity is synonymous with the instrument itself, the series will take viewers on an inclusionary journey to learn how the banjo represents stories of changing American identity and culture, and introduce different evolutions of the instrument. The series will also feature Giddens playing her own music pieces and special guests ranging from iconic artists and fellow banjo players to researchers including Béla Fleck, Kristina Gaddy, Don Vappie, Enda Scahill (WeBanjo3), Justin Robinson (Carolina Chocolate Drops), and the late Mick Maloney, among others. All episodes of The Banjo: Music, History, and Heritage will debut on Friday, March 24 on Wondrium.

"I've been surrounded by the sound of the banjo since I was a child, but it wasn't until later in life that I learned its true history. At that moment, my mind was blown," said Giddens. "Wondrium is the perfect platform for me to pass along the secret history of the banjo, and shine a light on our culture and musical heritage in a way that hasn't been done before. I promise it will blow your mind, too," said Giddens. 

In April, Stone will cook up delicious lessons in a new multipart instructional cooking series, Elevate your Everyday Cooking with Curtis Stone. In the series, the multi-hyphenate and accomplished Chef will teach viewers how to celebrate life through food and prepare delicious meals - from everyday dinners to centerpiece creations. Through thorough, in-depth instruction, anyone looking to elevate their game in the kitchen will be guided to transform their cooking.

"I wanted to offer a series where home cooks could feel like a seasoned pro was right there next to you in your kitchen. So whether it's making a once-in-a-lifetime celebration meal or just trying to get dinner on the table, this Wondrium series offers something for every taste and palate," said Stone.

In the 12-part instructional series, The Power of Storytelling (wt), Shapiro will share invaluable insights into the art of storytelling and how to craft one so compelling that people can't stop listening. Drawing on his experience as a groundbreaking reporter, he will provide listeners with a toolkit of ideas, approaches, and principles that can be applied to telling stories of any kind. The series will debut in Q3, 2023.

"I've done keynotes and lectures on reporting, but never quite like this," said Shaprio. "After spending most of my professional life becoming intimate friends with total strangers to share their stories with the world – I'm now looking forward to sharing mine with Wondrium's hyper-engaged audience."

In his series, Road Trip: Searching for Psychedelic Truth (wt), television host and producer Masekela will take viewers on a journey to find the truth behind the latest trends in psychedelics. Selema will travel to meet experts and enthusiasts to learn about the therapeutic and recreational uses of plant-based drugs like peyote (mescaline), ayahuasca (DMT), and magic mushrooms (psilocybin), and synthetic drugs such as acid (LSD) and ecstasy (MDMA). Along the way, viewers will learn how these substances went from being considered medical wonders to being feared and banned, and how they've now returned to the forefront of mental health research and self-illumination. Road Trip will debut in 2024.

"We hear lots of stories about substance abuse, particularly when it comes to drugs - but this show is about the stories you haven't heard," said Masekela. "In my Wondrium series, I want viewers to join me on a journey to a deeper understanding of the world of psychedelics. I hope it will be a trip they'll never forget."

Giddens, Stone, Shapiro, and Masekela join a respected list of leaders collaborating with Wondrium on enrichment nonfiction programming including Bill Gates, Jonathan Adler, Dorsey Armstrong, H.R. McMaster, Jean Pierre-Isbouts, Richard Spence, Michael Davie, Darius Arya, Hasan Jeffries, John McWhorter, Carol Symes, Heidi Sormaz, and more.

About Rhiannon Giddens

The acclaimed musician Rhiannon Giddens uses her art to excavate the past and reveal bold truths about our present. A MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient, Giddens co-founded the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. She most recently won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for They're Calling Me Home, which she made with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi. Giddens is now a two-time winner and eight-time Grammy nominee for her work as a soloist and collaborator.

They're Calling Me Home was released by Nonesuch in April of 2021 and has been widely celebrated by the NY Times, NPR Music, NPR, Rolling Stone, People, Associated Press and far beyond, with No Depression deeming it "a near perfect album…her finest work to date." Recorded over six days in the early phase of the pandemic in a small studio outside of Dublin, Ireland - where both Giddens and Turrisi live - They're Calling Me Home manages to effortlessly blend the music of their native and adoptive countries: America, Italy, and Ireland. The album speaks of the longing for the comfort of home as well as the metaphorical "call home" of death.

Giddens' lifelong mission is to lift up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been erased, and to work toward a more accurate understanding of the country's musical origins. Pitchfork has said of her work, "few artists are so fearless and so ravenous in their exploration," and Smithsonian Magazine calls her "an electrifying artist who brings alive the memories of forgotten predecessors, white and black."

Among her many diverse career highlights, Giddens has performed for the Obamas at the White House and received an inaugural Legacy of Americana Award from Nashville's National Museum of African American History in partnership with the Americana Music Association. Her critical acclaim includes in-depth profiles by CBS Sunday Morning, the New York Times, the New Yorker, and NPR's Fresh Air, among many others.

Giddens was featured in Ken Burns's Country Music series, which aired on PBS, where she spoke about the African American origins of country music. She is also a member of the band Our Native Daughters with three other black female banjo players, Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell, and Amythyst Kiah, and co-produced their debut album Songs of Our Native Daughters (2019), which tells stories of historic black womanhood and survival.

Giddens had an incredible 2022, she published her first book, Build a House (October 2022), Lucy Negro Redux, the ballet Giddens wrote the music for, had its premiere at the Nashville Ballet (premiered in 2019 and toured in 2022), and the libretto and music for Giddens' original opera, Omar, based on the autobiography of the enslaved man Omar Ibn Said, premiered at the Spoleto USA Festival in May. Giddens is also curating a four-concert Perspectives series as part of Carnegie Hall's 2022–2023 season. Named Artistic Director of Silkroad Ensemble in 2020, Giddens is developing a number of new programs for that ensemble, including one inspired by the history of the American transcontinental railroad and the cultures and music of its builders.

About Curtis Stone

Curtis Stone is a Los Angeles-based Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur, author, and culinary entrepreneur. He began cooking at the Savoy Hotel's five-star restaurant in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia at the age of 18 and at 21, moved to Europe to further his education and classical training under renowned chef Marco Pierre White for eight years, a foundation that would inform his subsequent career in Los Angeles. In 2014, Stone opened his first solo restaurant, Maude (Beverly Hills, CA), to immediate acclaim. Following the success of Maude, he opened Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant (Hollywood, CA) in July 2016 with his brother Luke Stone. Maude received its first Michelin star in 2019 upon the guide's return to California, and has retained their standing, with Gwen sharing the honor with its own star in 2022. The brothers opened their second restaurant together, Georgie, modeled after Gwen, with restaurateur Stephan Courseau in Dallas, Texas in fall 2019. In addition to the restaurants, Stone operates Curtis Stone Events in Los Angeles, a full-service events and catering company that crafts personalized occasions for guests.

Outside his restaurants, Stone is widely known for his appearances on television programs such as Take Home Chef (TLC), Top Chef Masters (Bravo), the Emmy-nominated Top Chef Junior, an extension of the NBC Top Chef franchise, as well as making frequent appearances on MasterChef Australia. In Fall 2019, Stone debuted Field Trip with Curtis Stone on PBS, a six-episode series inspired by his global travels to research the regional menus at the newly minted Michelin-starred Maude. Season two premiered in October 2020 and is streaming Peacock and Tastemade. In May 2021, Stone filled a judge's seat for Crime Scene Kitchen (FOX), an all-new baking competition hosted by Joel McHale, with season two premiering in Winter 2023, and recently entered Kitchen Stadium as an Iron Chef for Netflix's "Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend," which debuted in June 2022. A New York Times bestselling author, Stone has authored six cookbooks including his most recent, Good Food, Good Life. In 2007, he developed Kitchen Solutions, a collection of sleek and functional cookware, which has now become the best reviewed brand and top-selling culinary line on the Home Shopping Network.

In 2016, Stone began a new pledge to give back through his #Commit2One initiative. Each year he partners with a charity, devoting the majority of his time and resources to the cause. Through these efforts, he has raised funds and awareness for The National Young Farmers Coalition, Chrysalis, AdoptTogether, Share Our Strength, which aims to end childhood hunger through their No Kid Hungry campaign, and Drought Angels.

About Ari Shapiro

Ari Shapiro is an award-winning host of NPR's All Things Considered, one of the most listened-to radio news programs in the United States, as well as a host of NPR's daily afternoon news podcast, Consider This. He has reported from above the Arctic Circle and aboard Air Force One. He has covered wars in Iraq, Ukraine, and Israel, and he has filed stories from five continents. He has been a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle and an answer on Jeopardy. Shapiro also makes frequent appearances as a guest singer with the "little orchestra" Pink Martini. Since his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009, Shapiro has performed live in many of the world's most storied venues. He has created two original solo shows and performed them at Joe's Pub, 54 Below, and other renowned cabaret venues.In 2019, he created the stage show, Och and Oy: A Considered Cabaret, with Tony Award winner Alan Cumming. Shapiro was born in Fargo, North Dakota, and grew up in Portland, Oregon. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale. He began his journalism career as an intern for NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg, who has also occasionally been known to sing in public.

About Selema Masekela

Selema Masekela is a beloved commentator, journalist, musician, activist and producer best known for his work across NBC, VICE, E!, ESPN, Nat Geo & beyond. With decades of action sports journalism under his belt, including the Red Bull Signature Series, NBC Olympics coverage, Vice World of Sports, his cultural reporting in South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and so much more, Masekela is often considered an action sports evangelist. Selema was also the face of X Games for 13 years. After taking a 10 year hiatus to pursue other projects, he returned to Aspen in January 2023, for the first time in a decade, to join X Games again as host, talent coach, and consulting producer. Masekela is also a musician, recording under the alias 'Alekesam' (Masekela backwards) and the co-founder of the South African surf brand Mami Wata. Most recently, he released the critically-acclaimed book AFRO SURF, the first book to capture and celebrate the surfing culture of Africa. Currently he is working on his own lifestyle brand, Alekesam. Masekela is the co-founder of Stoked Mentoring, an organization dedicated to mentoring at-risk youth through action sports. He is an ambassador for Red Bull and sits on the Board of Directors for BURTON.

About Wondrium

Wondrium is the premier streaming provider of nonfiction learning content. Wondrium takes the learning experience to the next level, combining the library and legacy of in-depth content from The Great Courses with the best in entertaining, engaging, and educational content. The service provides a resource that complements people's daily media habits, allowing them to pursue their passions, dig deeper into subjects, and find something they will love to learn.

Media Contact:
Lindsay Colker
Elevate Communications
[email protected] 

SOURCE Wondrium