Composer

A program of glorious choral masterworks by Brahms, Fauré, and Hailstork. These meditations on life and fate, filled with rich, soulful melodies, provide a respite of comfort and consolation. Reena Esmail’s RE|Member explores how the world has changed forever, re-entering the post-pandemic world.

Sparks Fly, Voices Soar: Brahms and Fauré

Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts

American music stirs the soul in a way like none other. Performance Today® 2022 Classical Woman of the Year, pianist Lara Downes explores the depths of that profound connection to land, sea and spirit. Dvořák’s New World Symphony blends Bohemian fantasy with Midwestern and Southern melodies and charm.

EPSG:4326

New World Symphony

Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center

Kavli Theatre Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza

Adolphus Hailstork III (April 17, 1941, Rochester, New York) is an American composer of African American, Native American and European ancestry. His works are known for blending musical ideas from the African, American and European traditions. Hailstork received his music education at Howard University, Manhattan School of Music, and Michigan State University. He currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is the Cultural Laureate of Virginia. While his compositions employ contemporary compositional techniques, Hailstork writes in a wide variety of genres, including concert band literature, and often uses material relating to African-American traditions for inspiration. His wide span of musical compositions ranges from symphonies, opera, and a violin concerto, to “Springtime for Two Elephants” for two tubas. Hailstork was the second African-American composer ever to be featured at a Presidential Inauguration when his Fanfare on Amazing Grace was performed as part of the prelude to Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. His latest cantata, A Knee on the Neck, was written in commemoration of George Floyd’s murder and premiered in 2021.

Masterworks II: Connections

Maryland Hall

Immerse yourself in the grandeur of Beethoven's heroic style with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia's presentation of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto. This magnificent concert is set to take place at the prestigious Perelman Theater within The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, located at 300 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102. Under the baton of esteemed Music Director David Hayes, the orchestra will perform on Friday, October 4, 2024, at 7:30 pm, and again on Sunday, October 6, 2024, at 2:30 pm.

The concert will feature the extraordinary talents of Michelle Cann on the piano, whose performances have been described as exquisite by The Philadelphia Inquirer and of sterling artistry by Gramophone. The program includes Beethoven's Coriolan Overture and his Piano Concerto No. 5 Emperor, a piece that stands as a testament to Beethoven's resilience and creativity in the face of adversity, inspired by the events following Napoleon’s assault on Vienna in 1809. The concert will also showcase contemporary works by Adolphus Hailstork, Sagrada Sonata da Chiesa No. 2, and December by Michael Torke, adding a modern touch to the evening.

The entire performance is expected to last approximately 80 minutes, including an intermission, providing the audience with a deeply engaging and memorable musical experience. This event is a must-attend for classical music enthusiasts and those looking to experience the power and beauty of Beethoven's music, performed by some of the most talented musicians of our time. Tickets are available for purchase, offering a unique opportunity to witness the blend of historical masterpieces and contemporary compositions in one of Philadelphia's most iconic venues.

Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

VSO’s 90th anniversary at the Flynn kicks off with an all-American program and two living greats: virtuoso banjoist Béla Fleck and composer Adolphus Hailstork. Fleck makes his East Coast debut with his catchy arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue for banjo, and Hailstork joins the VSO in person at the Flynn. This concert marks the VSO’s premiere performance of William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1, with narrated epigraphs written by Paul Laurence Dunbar and other prominent Black poets.

VSO: Béla Fleck and American Excellence

The Flynn

The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro José-Luis Novo, is pleased to present the perfect end-of-summer soundtrack for everyone in the family. Mark your calendar now to attend our annual end-of-summer concert, sponsored by Anne Arundel County Arts Council and Anne Arundel County Department Of Recreation and Parks.

Pops in the Park

Quiet Waters Park

Downs Park

The Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring professional self-conducted chamber orchestra that serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization – the leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Comprising 18 accomplished Black and Latinx artists, the Sphinx Virtuosi are evolving and transforming the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement.

Sphinx Virtuosi

Shermerhorn Symphony Center

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music and cultural celebration with the Sphinx Virtuosi at Caramoor on July 7, 2024, in Katonah, NY. This dynamic and inspiring self-conducted string orchestra, known as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization, is dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Comprising some of the nation’s top young Black and Latinx professional musicians, Sphinx Virtuosi serves as a cultural and diversity ambassador across the United States and abroad.

The concert will take place at the Orchestral Music Venetian Theater at 4:00pm, with a special pre-concert conversation with members of Sphinx Virtuosi at 3:00pm. The program features music by some of today’s most compelling Black and Latinx composers, including Quenton Xavier Blache, Javier Favias, Andrea Casarrubios, Adolphus Hailstork, Jessie Montgomery, and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson.

Seating options include general admission with premium reserved seating available, as well as Garden Listening tickets for a more casual concert environment. Garden Listening tickets are $20, free for Members and children under 18, allowing you to enjoy the concert broadcast with audio only on Friends Field.

This performance is part of Caramoor's commitment to showcasing diverse talents and providing a platform for artists representing historically excluded communities. Don't miss this vibrant and assured performance that promises to be more essential than ever.

For tickets and more information, visit the Caramoor Box Office or the event's website. Experience the transformative power of music with Sphinx Virtuosi at Caramoor, a highlight of the summer arts season in the Hudson Valley.

Venetian Theater at Caramoor

American Soundscapes

Sarasota Opera House

This one-night-only musical event sums up the spirit of the 2024 Festival—unbound, uninhibited, and genuinely transformative. Hailstork’s beautifully evocative Sonata da Chiesa—“church sonata” in the Baroque era—reflects his personal fascination with cathedrals. Written for Benny Goodman, Copland’s dynamic Clarinet Concerto is the only conductor-led piece on the program. Tessa Lark, Mike Block, and Jeffrey Kahane improvise on beloved American songs, while Lark and Block duet with traditional fiddle tunes. The perfumed world of 18th-century France collides with 21st-century jazz in Block’s arrangement of Dieupart’s Sarabande, then Block leads Festival fellows in an exhilarating, spur-of-the-moment jam. Lark puts her distinctive stamp on bluegrass legend Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” and the experience culminates with Iniche Cosebe, Block’s quasi-improvised work inspired by “thank you very much” in the language of the Mandinka people.

“He can roar, but he also can whisper,” said the Chicago Sun-Times about Yefim Bronfman’s performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. On either side of Bronfman’s astonishing performance, David Robertson leads symphonic works by Adolphus Hailstork and John Adams, two contemporary American composers who are currently shaping the orchestral world as we watch (and listen!).

Bronfman Plays Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4

Minnesota Orchestra

Carnegie Citywide in Bryant Park

Bryant Park

Join us for an enchanting evening of harp music featuring the talented Raquel Coleman at the Northwestern Bienen School of Music. This captivating recital is part of Raquel's Master of Music degree requirements and showcases her exceptional skills under the guidance of Marguerite Lynn Williams. The performance will also feature a diverse ensemble of musicians, including Jungah Yoon on flute, Anjali Covill on clarinet, violinists Jenny Choi and Mingyue Fei, Tristan Saito on viola, and Phillip Suwandi on cello.

The program promises a rich tapestry of compositions, including Jacques de la Presle's "Le jardin mouillé," selections from Carlos Salzedo's "Suite of Eight Dances," Adolphus Hailstork's "Four Preludes," Philippe Gaubert's "Légende," and Maurice Ravel's "Introduction et Allegro." This event is a wonderful opportunity to experience the depth and breadth of harp music, from classical to contemporary.

Event Details:
- Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2024
- Time: 8:30pm CDT
- Location: Regenstein Master Class Room, Bienen School of Music, 60 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
- Admission: Free, no tickets required

The Regenstein Master Class Room, with seating for 200, is the perfect intimate setting for this showcase. It's located in the Regenstein Hall of Music, adjacent to the Ryan Center for the Musical Arts. Don't miss this opportunity to support emerging musical talent and enjoy a beautiful evening of harp music. The event will also be available via live stream for those who cannot attend in person.

Raquel Coleman, harp

Northwestern Bienen School of Music

Three Spirituals by American composer Adolphus Hailstork takes traditional tunes and treats them with Baroque counterpoint technique and jazz harmonies. Hungarian Ernst von Dohnanyi’s Serenade is perhaps his most frequently performed work, inspired by a Beethoven trio, Beethoven, in turn, was inspired to write for a string trio by Mozart’s “Divertimento.” Some musicians (including the violist in this performance) think the Mozart Divertimento is the best piece ever written for a string trio. Come judge for yourself!

Westmoreland Symphony Presents Academy Concerts – Trio Sine Nomine

Greensburg Garden and Civic Center

JoAnn Falletta returns to conduct one of her favorites—Prokofiev’s powerful and passionate music for Romeo & Juliet. Plus, Hampton Roads’ own Adolphus Hailstork, hailed as “the Dean of African-American composers,” brings us a brand new piano concerto in its local premiere, featuring Lara Downes – Performance Today’s 2022 Classical Woman of the Year.

Romeo & Juliet with JoAnn

Ferguson Center for the Arts

L Douglas Wilder Performing

 USO 24-25 Concert 4

Mendocino College

Capping the end of this exciting year will be a two-week concert tour of France from 16-30 June 2024, commencing in Paris and concluding at the Côte d’Azur. This will be the first international tour by the SSO since 2017!

SSO Spring Concerts 2024

Stanford University

Please join us for an exclusive preview and celebration of the Portland Chamber Music Festival’s 2024 summer season! Enjoy informal performances and conversation with extraordinary musicians, drinks and light refreshments, and the company of fellow chamber music enthusiasts in a delightfully intimate setting.

 Spring Salon & Social

Discover a world of incredible music with the Café Ludwig season finale featuring Enescu's hauntingly beautiful Légende for Trumpet and Piano, Dayton's tender and moving Fantasy for Viola and Piano, Smit's intricate and thrilling Piano Trio, and Hailstork's powerful and universal Variations for Trumpet. Experience the innovative and masterful compositions of Ligeti with Selections from 6 Bagatelles and Musica Ricercata and Poulenc's charmingly witty Sextet for Piano and Woodwind Quintet. Experience the depth, complexity, and beauty of these incredible masterworks by some of the greatest composers of the 20th century.

Tribulations & Triumphs

Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Experience Respighi’s masterpieces, Pines and Fountains of Rome. These stunning works reveal Respighi’s brilliant brushstrokes in painting scenes of the majesty of nature and dancing water. The program opens with two giants among today’s living composers: Hailstork’s powerful homage to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders, followed by Michael Daugherty’s American Gothic, a work of irrepressible fun that brings the iconic art of Grant Wood to life.

The Pines & Fountains of Rome

Jacoby Symphony Hall

USC Thornton's early music ensemble, the Baroque Sinfonia, presents Christmas music of the German Baroque era, led by faculty members Rotem Gilbert and Jason Yoshida.

USC Thornton Baroque Sinfonia

University of Southern California

Join us for an enchanting evening of flute music featuring the talented Saeyeong Kim, a Master of Music student under the guidance of John Thorne. This recital is set to take place on Friday, April 26, 2024, at 6:00pm CDT in the exquisite Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall, located within the Ryan Center for the Musical Arts at Northwestern University.

Saeyeong Kim, accompanied by Kay Kim on piano, will present a captivating program that includes works by Adolphus Hailstork, J.S. Bach, Frank Martin, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Franz Schubert. The repertoire highlights include "Yuhwa (The Goddess of the Willow Trees)" by Hailstork, Bach's Sonata in E Minor, BWV 1034, Martin's "Ballade," Telemann's Fantasia No. 6 in D Minor, TWV 40:7, and Schubert's Introduction and Variations on "Trockne Blumen," D. 802.

This event is free and open to the public, with no tickets required. For those unable to attend in person, a live stream will be available, ensuring that no one misses out on this remarkable performance.

The Galvin Recital Hall, with its stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, provides the perfect backdrop for this musical evening. The hall is renowned for its exceptional acoustics, thanks to the undulating walls covered with African moabi wood, ensuring that every note is heard in crystal clear quality.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the artistry of Saeyeong Kim and Kay Kim in one of the most beautiful concert venues in the region.

Saeyeong Kim, flute

Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall

Immerse yourself in the profound musical journey of "LOMA PRIETA" with the Monterey Symphony, a poignant tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of natural disasters and the ephemeral beauty of life. This evocative concert series takes place at the prestigious Sunset Center in Carmel, on April 20, 2024, from 7:30 PM to April 21, 2024, until 3:00 PM.

Under the baton of Music Director and Conductor Jayce Ogren, and featuring the remarkable talents of tenor Sean Panikkar and horn player Daniel Nebel, "LOMA PRIETA" promises an unforgettable experience. The concert is dedicated to Steve Friedlander, the Executive Director of the Carmel Bach Festival, and is generously sponsored by Bill and Nancy Doolittle.

The program explores themes of loss, memory, and the transient nature of existence through a carefully curated selection of works. Adolphus Hailstork's "Epitaph to a Man Who Dreamed" honors the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., while Benjamin Britten's "Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings" delves into the concepts of night, sleep, and dreams. Arvo Pärt's "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten" is a moving tribute to the composer, and Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 3, "Pastoral," reflects on the landscapes of northern France and the soldiers who perished there during World War I.

Sean Panikkar, celebrated for his vocal agility and dramatic versatility, brings his exceptional talents to the stage, promising performances that resonate with emotional depth and technical brilliance. Daniel Nebel, principal hornist of the Monterey Symphony, adds his profound musicality to the ensemble, ensuring a rich and immersive sonic experience.

Join us for "LOMA PRIETA" at the Sunset Center, an evening of music that commemorates the past while celebrating the enduring beauty and strength of the human spirit. Secure your tickets now for this monumental event in the 2023-2024 season of the Monterey Symphony.

Loma Prieta

Sunset Center

Bach’s endless melodies, braided and tangled in an ecstasy of counterpoint, lift music to rapturous heights. His Orchestral Suite showcasing a fleet-fingered flutist and his “Double” Concerto for dueling violins prove how even his works of sheer entertainment ripple with undercurrents of spiritual urgency. Felix Mendelssohn applies Bach’s lessons of interwoven lines to make his precocious Violin Concerto in D Minor soar with uncommon energy, especially when the Korean superstar Bomsori Kim approaches it with her signature “balletic grace” (The Strad). Adolphus Hailstork, an elder statesman among Black American composers who is enjoying a long-overdue renaissance, revisits his childhood singing in church choirs for a Bach-inflected journey that begins and ends in a state of exaltation.

Orpheus & Bomsori Kim

Carnegie Hall

Eastman Wind Orchestra

Eastman Theatre

SEASON FINALE! Living music at its most sublime. The “Ode to Joy” speaks to our wish to all get along with our fellow humans. The tune turns up everywhere, but it is best heard the way genius Beethoven imagined but never heard himself due to his tragic deafness. Beethoven’s greatest work has inspired countless others including our own Music Director/Conductor Diane Wittry to compose her own “Ode to Joy” Fanfare and for the Allentown Symphony to commission a world premiere by rising star composer Joe Jaxson. Plus hear Florence Price’s tender Andante cantabile for String Orchestra and Adolphus Hailstork’s Fanfare on “Amazing Grace.

Beethoven’s Ninth

Miller Symphony Hall

Ensemble-in-Residence Castle of our Skins returns for an immersive three-day residency focused on the music of Adolphus Hailstork. The ensemble and guest composer will work with students in master classes, classroom visits, and affinity spaces, and present a capstone portrait concert featuring chamber music from Hailstork’s rich body of work.

Castle of Our Skins | Love & Justice

Longy School of Music of Bard College

Curated by SPCO Principal Bassoonist Andrew Brady and flutist Alicia McQuerrey, this special Express Concert includes evocative works by Maurice Ravel, Astor Piazzolla and Osvaldo Golijov which explore the passion-filled dance between life and death. The program features Adolphus Hailstork’s hauntingly beautiful romance for viola, performed by SPCO violist Hyobi Sim, a flute solo by Valerie Coleman and Lili Boulanger’s impressionist masterpiece D’un matin de printemps.

Express Concert: Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin

Temple Israel

Saint Paul's United Church of Christ

Wayzata Community Church

Founded in 1997 in Detroit, but with nationwide reach, the Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring professional self-conducted chamber orchestra and serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization—the leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Comprised primarily of Black and Latinx artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement. Its members serve as cultural and diversity ambassadors for audiences and communities around the United States during national tours, and perform annually at Carnegie Hall where The New York Times has praised the group as “…top-notch…more essential
at this moment than ever…a vibrant, assured performance.”

Lobero Theatre

Founded in 1997 in Detroit, but with nationwide reach, the Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring professional self-conducted chamber orchestra and serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization—the leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Comprised primarily of Black and Latinx artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement. Its members serve as cultural and diversity ambassadors for audiences and communities around the United States during national tours, and perform annually at Carnegie Hall where The New York Times has praised the group as “…top-notch…more essential at this moment than ever…a vibrant, assured performance.”

Sphinx Virtuosi is a dynamic and inspiring professional self-conducted chamber orchestra and serves as the flagship performing entity of the Sphinx Organization – the leading social justice non-profit dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. Comprised of eighteen accomplished Black and Latinx artists, a critical aim of the Sphinx Virtuosi is to evolve and transform the face of classical music through artistic excellence, pioneering programming, and impassioned community engagement.

Brilliant chamber orchestra of young Black and Latinx string players in a program entitled "Generations"

Washington Irving Campus

The rich and diverse Music of the African Diaspora emerges from the musical traditions of displaced Africans around the world, particularly in the Caribbean, South America, and the United States.  From these vibrant communities, genres like blues, jazz, spirituals, calypso, and habanera were born.  In this concert, we pay homage to these influential styles while presenting them through a contemporary lens for 21st Century audiences.

Music of the African Diaspora

DuPont Country Club

Sonya Shin is a winner of Manhattan School of Music’s 2022 – 2023 Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition 

MSM Symphony Orchestra conducted by George Manahan featuring Sonya Shin, violin

Manhattan School of Music

Featuring SPCO violinist Maureen Nelson’s new arrangement of Medieval works, this program is a musical response to the poet Rumi who wrote: “The lamps are different, but the Light is the same. One matter, one energy, one Light, one Light-mind, endlessly emanating all things.” Opening with music of Hildegard von Bingen, this Express Concert is a journey of light through the eyes of different composers. At the heart lies Franz Joseph Haydn’s uplifting Midday Symphony and Osvaldo Golijov’s lush Tenebrae for String Quartet.

Express Concert: Haydn’s Midday Symphony

Ted Mann Concert Hall

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Is there anything more romantic than Rachmaninoff? His Piano Concerto No. 2 features swoon-worthy melodies, heart-wrenching harmonies, and a sense of bittersweet yearning. This piece packs a satisfying emotional punch while also delivering some of the most impressive fingerwork you’ll see on stage. You won’t want to miss Haochen Zhang’s virtuosity in this romantic romp.

Rachmaninoff the Romantic

Boise State University

Following his performance with the Symphony that was livestreamed to remote viewers during the pandemic, violin virtuoso Pinchas Zuckerman returns to perform three lush and joyful works: Tchaikovsky’s melodic Sérénade mélancolique and that composer’s sentimental “Mélodie” from Souvenir d’un lieu cher paired with Mozart’s buoyant Violin Concerto No. 3 “Strassburg.” This uplifting concert on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday opens with Hailstork’s inspirational Four Hymns Without Words and culminates with Sibelius’ majestic and powerful Symphony No. 2.

Pinchas Zukerman, Violin

The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

Following his performance with Palm Beach Symphony that was livestreamed to remote viewers during the pandemic, violin virtuoso Pinchas Zukerman returns to perform three lush and joyful works: Tchaikovsky’s melodic Sérénade mélancolique and that composer’s sentimental Mélodie from Souvenir d’un lieu cher paired with Mozart’s buoyant Violin Concerto No. 3 “Strassburg.” This uplifting concert on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday opens with Hailstork’s inspirational Four Hymns Without Words and culminates with Sibelius’ majestic and powerful Symphony No. 2

Palm Beach Symphony Presents Pinchas Zukerman, Violin

Alexander W. Dreyfoos Concert Hall

The program commemorates 60 years since the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or national origin. The composers and themes represent those groups whose rights were affirmed by this historic legislation, including works by African American, women, and immigrant composers. One highlight of the program is Can You See? by The Cleveland Orchestra’s Daniel R. Lewis Composer Fellow Allison Loggins-Hull, which received its first performances in May 2023.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert

Severance Music Center

“Our goal in this show was to go through an array of music to introduce young people and also to celebrate the rich musical history that composers of African descent have contributed to. This particular concert will celebrate a broad range of truly classical music but music that they may not have heard or heard about. It’s very accessible. It is designed as a concert to give honor and reflection to the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. in a way that is both reverent and entertaining.” – Dr. Henry Panion III, guest conductor

Celebrate Mlk

Dominion Energy Center

A double dose of Beethoven! Under the direction of renowned composer and conductor, Gerard Schwarz, the HSO performs two monumental pieces by the ultimate icon of orchestral music. Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor” will feature pianist Orion Weiss, a performer described as “simply breathtaking” by the Herald-Tribune.  Symphony No. 5 is one of the absolute cornerstones of Western classical music.  Built on an unforgettable and deceptively simple four note motif, there is no truer definition of a classical “master work”.   Adolphus Hailstork’s Four Hymns Without Words is a set of short pieces featuring hymn-like opening statements.

Beethoven 5+5

The Bushnell

The Pomona College Choir, under the direction of Donna M. Di Grazia, boasts a membership of approximately 70-80 auditioned singers per semester, with student, faculty, and staff representatives from across the Claremont Colleges. Its repertoire includes Western classical art music from all historical periods, and it has offered stirring performances of works ranging from Palestrina’s Exultate Deo to Eric Whitacre’s Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine and Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei. This program features works by Pomona College’s esteemed faculty composer Tom Flaherty, Franz Biebl, Adolphus Hailstork, and Morten Lauridsen, plus a selection by Widor performed by award-winning organist Dr. Weicheng Zhao, our new College Organist for his inaugural performance on Pomona’s campus.

Pomona College Choir in Concert 2023 Concert 1

Pomona College

Jean Sibelius, Manuel de Falla and Adolphus Hailstork all spoke through their music to the landscapes, peoples, and histories of their respective nations. Sibelius’s overture evokes the Karelian region of Finland with marching strings, horn fanfares, and soaring brass. Manuel de Falla’s fantasy paints vivid gardens with the myriad colors of the orchestra and piano. Finally, Adolphus Hailstork’s symphony bursts forth with a defiant rhythmic energy and pastoral sensibility that is both born of and unlimited by the traditions of 20th century American music.

Homelands

St. Catherine University

Soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme delivers the immortal words of President John F. Kennedy and poet Robert Frost in a new co-commissioned work by Adolphus Hailstork titled JFK: The Last Speech. Conductor Alexander Shelley concludes the program with Brahms’ triumphant First Symphony. 

Brahms and the American Spirit

Hilbert Circle Theatre

Be among the first to hear this powerful new NSO co-commission, performed on the 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 speech at Amherst College. The program also includes Duke Ellington’s swinging trip to Jazz-age Harlem and John Adams’ Harmonielehre, inspired by the composer’s vision of an oil tanker blasting into space.

JFK: The Last Speech with Phylicia Rashad Kevin John Edusei conducts Adams, Ellington & Hailstork

Kennedy Center

University Philharmonia Orchestra presents a powerful concert experience as part of the Arts & Resistance themed semsester. The program features Michigan faculty member Bright Sheng’s H’un: Lacerations (in memory of the Chinese Cultural Revolution), Adolphus Hailstork’s Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed (a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.), as well as works by Beethoven and Sibelius.

University Philharmonia Orchestra

University of Michigan

Experience the breathtaking diversity of Adolphus Hailstork's repertoire as LSU's flagship performing ensembles—the LSU Symphony Orchestra, LSU Choirs, and LSU Wind Ensemble—unite on stage to present his most famous works, including Fanfare on Amazing Grace, Two Romances for Viola and Chamber Orchestra, featuring Kimberly Sparr, Associate Professor of Viola, and the powerful cantata I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes.

LSU School of Music Presents: The Works of Adolphus Hailstork

LSU Student Union Theater

Inspired by the poetry of Langston Hughes and Julia Alvarez, Sphinx Virtuosi brings you a program showcasing the beauty and tradition of excellence inherent in classical music created and performed by Black and Latinx composers for many generations. Together, SV seeks to uplift spirits through sharing the sounds that inspire us and transcend the boundaries of time, history, and struggle. Comprising 18 of the nation’s top Black and Latinx classical soloists, the Sphinx Virtuosi present a program inspired by present day events and the vibrant gifts of the past that we cherish today.

Sphinx Virtuosi w/ Xavier Foley, double bass

One of the most famous symphonies of all time, Beethoven's 5th opens the season.  Jessie Montgomery's "Banner," a rhapsody of the Star Spangled Banner and Adolphus Hailstork's engaging Symphony No. 3 are on the first half of this dynamic program.

Beethoven's 5th

Washington Pavilion

The Symphony No. 3 is unmistakably Rachmaninoff — with soaring melodies, shattering climaxes, and the dark rumblings of his signature Dies irae from the Mass for the Dead. But once the clouds have lifted, the Symphony ends in jubilant, life-affirming exclamations. Also on the program, Barber’s celebratory organ toccata (watch for some fancy footwork on the Lay Family Concert Organ) and a new work that honors JFK upon the 60th anniversary of his passing. Inspired by President Kennedy’s speech eulogizing poet Robert Frost at Amherst College in 1963, the DSO will be one of the first orchestras to perform this work following its world premiere this summer.



Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3

Meyerson Symphony Center

Boston Conservatory String Orchestra presents Is It Old? Is It New?

Boston Conservatory String Orchestra: Is It Old? Is It New?

Boston Conservatory Theater

This semester's edition of the Music Department's Fête musicale features an eclectic selection of works performed by faculty and friends of the Music Department. The musicians are Rachel Rudich, flutes; Francisco Castillo, oboe; Carolyn Beck, bassoon; Kira Blumberg & Cynthia Fogg, viola; Maggie Parkins, cello; Alison Bjorkedal, harp; Jeremy Swem, euphonium; Stephen Klein, tuba; Ken Rosser & Jack Sanders, guitar; and Barb Catlin & Kyungmi Kim, piano in selections by Barb Catlin, Adolphus Hailstork, Bud Powell, Nino Rota, Steve Swallow, Tōru Takemitsu and Barbara York.

Fête musicale 2023

Artistic Director Stéphane Denève opens the New World Symphony’s 36th season with musical postcards from around the world. Inspired by Miami's beaches, Denève shares symphonic seascapes of tranquil waters, brewing tempests, and playful waves. Opening night culminates in Claude Debussy’s symphonic seascape La mer.

Season Opener: Denève conducts Debussy and Britten

New World Center

The New York Choral Society presents A Knee on the Neck, a concert that pairs two cantatas that bring our attention to the devastating pain of injustice and conflict in a program that call us to come together with a collective resolve for justice, freedom, and peace.  Featuring the New York premiere of Adolphus Hailstork’s new requiem cantata A Knee on the Neck.

A Knee on the Neck

Lincoln Center

**Haydn’s Mass for Troubled Times: A Choral Masterpiece**

Join the Choral Arts Society of Washington for an evening of profound musical expression with "Haydn’s Mass for Troubled Times," featuring the works of Joseph Haydn, Adolphus Hailstork, and Dominick DiOrio. This captivating performance will take place at the prestigious Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday, June 11, 2023, at 5:00 PM.

**The Program:**
- Dominick DiOrio: Solaris
- Adolphus Hailstork: I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes
- Joseph Haydn: Missa in Angustiis (Mass for Troubled Times/Lord Nelson Mass)

**Featured Artists:**
- Dr. André J. Thomas, Conductor
- Dominick DiOrio, Guest Chorus Master
- Danielle Talamantes, Soprano
- Alexandra Colaizzi, Mezzo-Soprano
- Kevin Punnackal, Tenor
- James Shaffran, Bass

Accompanied by the Symphonic Chorus and the Choral Arts Orchestra, this event promises an unforgettable evening of choral music that speaks to the soul. The performance is divided into two halves, each lasting 45 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.

**Ticket Information:**
All attendees, regardless of age, must have a ticket. By purchasing tickets, you accept the risk of attending a live performance. Please note that all programs, artists, dates, times, and content are subject to change.

For an immersive experience, attendees are encouraged to view the digital program available for this performance. The Choral Arts Society of Washington is grateful for the support of its season sponsors and invites those interested in supporting their season journey to reach out.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the power of choral music through "Haydn’s Mass for Troubled Times" and other remarkable compositions. Secure your tickets now for a night of musical reflection and inspiration at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Haydn’s Mass for Troubled Times

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The Albany Symphony, long known for celebrating the breadth of American culture through new music, continues its community-building work with Convergence, a three-year collaborative project through which the Symphony, Capital Region communities, and nationally acclaimed artistic partners join together in an exploration of three Black American art forms. Funded by the Carl E. Touhey Foundation, Convergence will build community-wide awareness of our contemporary world through artistic inquiry and musical creation.

American Music Festival: Convergence

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Washington Square Music Festival

Washington Square Park

Audience favorite Norman Krieger returns with Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, the ultimate unity of solo expression, imagination, and technicality. Then, Strauss’ Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme musically captures the original Baroque play depicting the misadventures of a merchant who desperately wishes to join the aristocracy.

Beethoven & Strauss

Kleinhans Music Hall

Family Concert at Newark School of the Arts

Newark School of the Arts

Howard Hanson explored two ancient hymns in counterpoint, while Florence Price used spirituals as inspiration, weaving them around into complex tapestries of sound.

You can feel the expansiveness of a cathedral in Adolphus Hailstork’s joyful Sonata da Chiesa.

And we offer three very different prayers: Carson Cooman’s meditative Prayer of St. Ambrose, Alan Hovhaness’s mystical Prayer of St. Gregory and Joaquin Turina’s fiery Prayer of the Bullfighter.

Looking Toward Heaven

First Church Boston

Featuring 17 leading soloists and chamber musicians of today’s younger generation, ECCO combines the power and expansiveness of a great orchestral ensemble with the personal involvement and spontaneity of chamber music. For its PCMS return, this exciting, conductor-less band of strings teams up with the Jupiter Quartet, “an ensemble of eloquent intensity” (The New Yorker) and a mainstay of the American chamber music scene.

ECCO w/ Jupiter Quartet

ECCO Jupiter Quartet

The Jupiter String Quartet (“technical finesse and rare expressive maturity,” New Yorker) joins the exuberant East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO) for a wide-ranging program that includes Schubert’s great “Death and the Maiden” Quartet, arranged for string orchestra, and Jessie Montgomery’s take on the national anthem, Banner. “Everything the group touched felt balanced and bright...And the orchestra, as always, played luminously.” (N Y Times)

ECCO & Jupiter String Quartet

Experience Mendelssohn’s awe of Scotland’s stunning Hebrides Islands with his “Fingal’s Cave”.  Then admire man-made wonders with Hailstork’s Sonata da Chiesa, which reflects the composer’s fascination with cathedrals. This free concert ends with Daniel Myssyk conducting the orchestra in Schubert’s unfinished Seventh Symphony.

Mendelssohn, Hailstork, Schubert

St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Churc

The Jupiter String Quartet, described as “an ensemble of eloquent intensity” by The New Yorker, performs on tour with East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO). Featuring members of some of the world's finest orchestras, chamber groups, as well as young soloists, ECCO strives for vitality and musical integrity. This historically rich concert program features Franz Schubert’s String Quartet in D Minor, D. 810 (“Death and the Maiden”), arranged for string orchestra by Gustav Mahler; Adolphus Hailstork’s Sonata da Chiesa from 1992, an instrumental counterpart to a traditional choral Mass; and Jessie Montgomery’s Banner from 2014, which, as Montgomery explains, draws on world anthems and patriotic songs to answer the question, “What does an anthem for the 21st century sound like in today’s multicultural environment?”

Jupiter String Quartet With East Coast Chamber Orchestra

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

American virtuoso violinist and artistic visionary Mark Peskanov works with talented Princeton University students in a free workshop, sponsored by the Donna Weng Friedman ’80 Masterclass Series.  A concert  will be held after the masterclass, presenting Adolphus Hailstork’s Baroque Suite, Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in D Major, and Edvard Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 in C Minor, with pianist Donna Weng Friedman ’80.

A Masterclass with Mark Peskanov, Violinist

Taplin Auditorium

Matthew Rygelski is a musician, educator, and recording engineer who seeks to bring music to humanitarian efforts. Mr. Rygelski is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Clarinet Performance at the Carnegie Mellon School of Music with Michael Rusinek, Principal Clarinet of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and a minor in Music Education. A Pittsburgh native, Mr. Rygelski has performed with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra as an Undergraduate Music Fellow, the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra participating in both of their European tours. Mr. Rygelski has been the recipient of the Tuesday Musical Club Scholarship Competition receiving Honorable Mention along with the Enkor International Music Competition, Third Edition, Third Prize Winner. He plans on attending the Sewanee Music Festival in the Summer of 2023 and has also participated in the Clarinet Maestro Festival, Aria International Summer Academy, and the International Clarinet Workshop. Alongside his classical training, Mr. Rygelski has performed Klezmer Music at Carnegie Mellon University for various Jewish Holidays and at his recitals. In March 2022, Mr. Rygelski received 1st Prize in the International Clarinet Association Clariedoscope Essay Competition for his essay, “How Klezmer Music Changed Me.” Serving as an intern at WQED-89.3 since January 2021, Mr. Rygelski has interviewed various musical artists, and volunteered at different community outreach events hosted by WQED. Mr. Rygelski also performed for the radio station on the Pittsburgh Foundation Performance in Pittsburgh, performing the Mozart Clarinet Quintet. Mr. Rygelski is an active and dedicated educator, teaching music to the next generation of musicians and attends various different Pittsburgh events, engaging with the Pittsburgh Jewish Community.

Student Recital: Matthew Rygelski

Carnegie Mellon University

Masterworks Series: Hailstork, Beethoven and Grieg / Mark Peskanov and Donna Weng Friedman

Bargemusic

A lecture-demonstration discussing how the programming of works by underrepresented composers can educate all of us and empower our next generation.

Piano Master Class and Lecture: Michelle Cann

Still’s Symphony No. 2, Song of a New Race, celebrates the Black American as, in the composer’s words, “a totally new individual.” Adolphus Hailstork’s oratorio Done Made My Vow, A Ceremony, conceived here for the stage by director Tazewell Thompson and video artist Rasean Davonté Johnson, honors the countless Black Americans who have faced “the bench of injustice, and, by doing so, changed a nation.” A World Premiere by Courtney Bryan, with a new libretto by Thompson, celebrates a variety of Black musical heritage. Leslie B. Dunner conducts.

The March to Liberation

British conductor Matthew Halls makes his Minnesota Orchestra debut, leading the ensemble in Mendelssohn’s marvelous Symphony No. 3, the young composer’s effervescent depiction of the Scottish Highlands. Up first, American composer Adolphus Hailstork’s poignant Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed pays homage to Martin Luther King, Jr. on the occasion of the 94th anniversary of his birth, and German cellist Alban Gerhardt returns to the solo spotlight to play Schumann’s remarkably passionate Cello Concerto.

Mendelssohns Scottish Symphony

Orchestra Hall

Darkness and shadows have long fueled the imagination of artists, whether creating for the stage, screen, canvas, or text. Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble presents a concert of profound and cinematic works through which the composers explore the journey from darkness into light, featuring Johan DeMeij's award-winning 1988 symphonic interpretation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble: In the Shadows

Academy artists paired with the brilliant 2022 fellows. Featuring a piece by guest composer Christopher Cerrone.

x2 Series: Franz Schubert Quintet in C Major

Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero makes his SF Symphony debut with a program of Symphony premieres highlighting some of the most captivating 20th and 21st century music from the Americas. Works by Adolphus Hailstork, Antonio Estévez, and Astor Piazzolla paint vivid scenes of a bustling Virginia port, rolling Venezuelan countryside, and raucous Argentine tango club. Timothy McAllister, one of the greatest classical saxophonists of his generation, takes center stage for John Corigliano’s Saxophone Concerto, an SF Symphony commission and world premiere

Adolphus Hailstork

Composer

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