#94 America’s Sacred, Simple Gifts

Concert first performed on March 8, 2014.

Get in touch with your spiritual side as we explore three works by American composers influenced by different forms of the sacred. Copland’s Appalachian Spring takes a traditional Shaker hymn, “Simple Gifts,” and paints majestic strokes to evoke a traditional simplicity of American rural life.

Theofanidis was inspired to compose Lighting, with Life… by several anonymous American Indian poems with a common thread of a supernatural sense of nature, and he was deeply influenced by September 11th occurred as he was writing the piece. We are excited for Music Director Jacob Sustaita to take a break from the podium to perform as the featured viola soloist for this piece.

Finally, Still’s Afro-American Symphony combines the symphonic form with blues progressions and rhythms as well as with African American spirituals.

Conducted by Douglas Diamond

Works Performed

  • Theofanidis, Christopher, Lightning with Life, in Four Colors Comes Down with soloist Jacob Sustaita, viola
  • Still, William Grant, Symphony #3 “Afro-American”
  • Copland, Aaron, Appalachian Spring

Dates Performed

  • March 8, 2014

#88 “Heroes and Stories”

Concert first performed on November 10, 2012.

Conducted by Jacob Sustaita

Works Performed

  • Rossini, Giachimo, Overture to Guillame Tell”
  • Ravel, Maurice, Mother Goose Suite
  • Daugherty, Michael, Metropolis Symphony with soloist **Movts II, III, & V

Dates Performed

  • November 10, 2012

#85 “Something Borrowed

Concert first performed on March 24, 2012.

Conducted by Jacob Sustaita

Works Performed

  • Von Weber, Carl Maria, Overture to Turandot
  • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, Sinfonia Concertante K 297b with soloists Diane Benjamin, Oboe; Doug Caldwell, Horn; Ryan Golden, Clarinet; Brian Hadley, Bassoon
  • Debussy, Claude, Petite Suite
  • Von Weber, Carl Maria, March from “Turandot”
  • Hindemith, Paul, Symphonic Metamorphosis

Dates Performed

  • March 24, 2012

#84 “Everything Changes”

Concert first performed on November 19, 2011.

Conducted by Jacob Sustaita

Works Performed

  • Foin, Erika, “Everything Changes (2006)
  • Mendelsohnn, Felix, Sinfonia for Strings, No 3, E minor (1821)
  • Rodrigo, Joaquin, Adagio Para orquesta de intstruments de Vienta (1966)
  • Beethoven, Ludwig, Violin Concerto, op 61, D major with soloist Andrew Sords, violin

Dates Performed

  • November 19, 2011