Composer

EPSG:4326

Cycle Three: Echoes Of The West

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church Arizona

DesertView Performing Arts Center

This concert features American composer Aaron Copland with his dramatic musical story of legendary outlaw Billy the Kid.  Copland’s brilliant score takes us through scenes of wagons, a frontier town, a nighttime card game, and even a gun battle from the American West.  The concert opens with American composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s Three Latin American Dances, a work depicting rhythms and dances of regions in South America.

Billy The Kid

California State University, Chico

Cascade Theatre

Journey through luminous soundscapes and rustic beauty in Appalachian Spring, a concert of celestial serenity, playful charm, and sweeping Americana. The evening opens with Aaron Jay Kernis’ Musica Celestis, a transcendent work of shimmering, angelic harmonies that seem to drift through the heavens. Duo Amadeae—sisters Esther Park and Sun-A Park—bring their dazzling synchronicity and expressive touch to Poulenc’s spirited Concerto for Two Pianos in D Minor, a piece bursting with wit, elegance, and unexpected turns. Copland’s beloved Appalachian Spring brings the night to a radiant close, evoking gentle nostalgia and painting a musical portrait of open skies and endless possibility. This program offers a joyful, heartfelt journey through sound and story—a celebration of hope, imagination, and the enduring spirit.

CSO: Appalachian Spring

RiverCenter for the Performing Arts

Celebrate nearly 250 years of American music with your Greeley Philharmonic. The concert includes the patriotic “Liberty Fanfare” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Also featured is Copland’s ballet, Appalachian Spring, inspired by the American frontier. Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes and “A New World A’Comin” by Duke Ellington fuse jazz and orchestral traditions. The second half opens with a world premiere of a piece by Julie Giroux. Join us on January 31st to hear your American favorites or to discover something new!

Stars & stripes Forever

University of Northern Colorado

A program of legendary figures—both real and imagined—features the Annapolis debut of two-time Grammy-winning soprano Angel Blue performing a selection of operatic works. Known for her radiant voice and commanding stage presence, Blue has graced the world’s leading opera houses. In this special performance, she shares her extraordinary artistry with ASO audiences, including a repertoire of extraordinary and timeless pieces, making this an experience you don’t want to miss!

Legends

Maryland Hall

Guest conductor Leonard Slatkin brings his "special flare for Americana" (The New York Times) to serve up two great American works from the past century. The young violin virtuoso Randall Goosby plays Samuel Barber's uber-romantic Violin Concerto. Then the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra pulls out all the stops for Aaron Copland's gripping Third Symphony, a piece that guarantees the goosebumps with its finale, Fanfare for the Common Man. The concert opens with the American premiere of Mr. Slatkin’s own musical joy ride through the mind of 19th-century genius Franz Schubert.

America @ 250: Copland + Barber

The Woodruff Arts Center

Enjoy the sophistication and charm of Mozart’s Symphony No. 38. One of Mozart’s final orchestral masterpieces, this symphony opens with a dramatic slow introduction before bursting into a spirited main theme— one that foreshadows the beloved Overture to The Magic Flute. The middle movement offers a moment of deep beauty and reflection, leading to a lively finale.

Masters of Melody: Mozart, Copland, & Haydn

Willson Auditorium

The RPO’s Dance Festival kicks off with an electric program led by Aram Demirjian and featuring Garth Fagan Dance, who dazzled Kodak Hall two seasons ago in Rite of Spring. Bernstein’s On the Town: Three Dance Episodes bursts with jazz-infused energy, while Philip Glass’ hypnotic Days and Nights in Rocinha evokes the vibrant pulse of Brazil. The evening culminates in Copland’s majestic Symphony No. 3, a sweeping celebration of American spirit, featuring the iconic Fanfare for the Common Man.

DANCE FESTIVAL: American Masters With Garth Fagan Dance

Eastman Theatre

The sweeping romantic melodies of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s beloved Second Piano Concerto come alive in the hands of the amazing young, medal-winning pianist Harmony Zhu. George Gershwin captures the essence of his opera Porgy and Bess in his dazzling suite, Catfish Row. A spectacular opening to a spectacular season.

Happy 250th Birthday America!

Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center

Bank Of America Performing Arts 

RPO: American Masters with Garth Fagan Dance

Kicking off 2026 and the “Festival of American Voices,” this concert presents a vivid survey of American classical music, highlighting voices from different cultural backgrounds. From the rhythmic energy of Chokfi’ by Chickasaw composer Jerod Tate to Florence Price’s evocative Mississippi River Suite, which weaves together spirituals into symphonic form, the program reflects the richness of American heritage. Aaron Copland’s Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo, with its iconic “Hoe-Down,” captures the spirit of the American West, while a new work by composer Peter B. Kay adds a fresh local perspective. Together, these pieces create a musical patchwork celebrating the diversity and depth of American artistry.

Voices of a Nation

Converse University

Danielle Simandl, Violin

Fox Cities Performing Arts Center

SADDLE UP, FOLKS, as we bring you a night of the tales from yesteryear and the trailblazing sounds of the new. We start with the old-timey in Aaron Copland’s Western ballad of Billy the Kid, and Debussy’s sensual Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Then, hang on to your hats with Boyer’s exciting Fanfare, Hymn, and Renewal and prepare to be amazed when Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al rides in with a bold, high-energy new piece performed by the fantastic Sandbox Percussion Ensemble.

Billy the Kid

Washburn University

LA Phil Creative Chair John Adams leads an All-American program, featuring his new piano concerto, After the Fall, with soloist Víkingur Ólafsson, a musician with “a magical touch” (BBC). “[A] dreamlike thrill ride,” the concerto is “a terrific addition to the composer’s catalog,” raved the San Francisco Chronicle.

Adams, Ólafsson & Copland

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Celebrate America’s 250th and the 2026 Winter Olympics with this inspiring program featuring Liv Warfield as the narrator for Lincoln Portrait.

Prairie Home Alliance Theater

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with this all-American program.

appalachian spring

Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church

Dance It Forward captures the elegant fusion between ballet and music throughout the concert. Come and enjoy a fantastic show with lively dancers performing on stage, and our amazing orchestra playing in the pit. Strauss’ Emperor Waltz begins our evening with a playful march melding into a vibrant Viennese waltz. Featured as the pianist on his work, Jerod Tate’s Winter Moons creates a ballet centered around American Indian legends paired with a narrator. Lastly, Copland’s ballet, Appalachian Spring, embraces 1930’s optimistic American culture.

Let's Dance

Appell Center for the Performing Arts

Line dance down the aisles to Aaron Copland’s Rodeo featuring the iconic “Hoe-Down”. Principal Harpist Alexis Colner brings her instrument’s harmonically bountiful sound to the forefront with Jennifer Higdon’s GRAMMY® Award-Winning Harp Concerto. Along with Curtis Stewart’s brand new work inspired by Black religious music and experiences, this program celebrates the great American composers of the past, present, and future.

Gershwin’s An American in Paris & Copland’s Rodeo

Chrysler Hall Norfolk

Ferguson Center for the Arts

Experience a night where classical meets fusion. Miguel Espinoza Fusion blends jazz, flamenco, and world music in their captivating Camino Desconocido alongside other original works. Mezzo-soprano Laura Mercado-Wright lends her rich voice to selections from Falla’s El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-Cornered Hat), while the evening opens with Copland’s lively Danzón Cubano, setting the tone for an unforgettable celebration of musical diversity.

Latin Flair

The Long Center for the Performing Arts

Journey through the rich tapestry of African American musical traditions with Florence Price's evocative Ethiopia's Shadow in America and Carlos Simon's trombone concerto Troubled Water featuring LPO Principal Trombone Austin Richardson and feel the raw energy of Samuel Barber's unbridled Symphony No. 1 before the exhilarating finale: Aaron Copland's beloved Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo – a joyous celebration of the American West.

Copland's Rodeo

Orpheum Theater

What defines the All-American sound? From jazz and blues to spirituals and classical traditions, hear it evolve with conductor Anthony Parnther, a master of many genres. Pianist David Kaplan brings his "striking imagination and creativity" (The New York Times) to Copland’s jazz-inspired Piano Concerto.

American Soundscapes: Jazz, Blues & Beyond

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

The Music Center at Strathmore

Revel in the genius of “the Dean of American composers,” Aaron Copland. Conductor David Alan Miller leads this retrospective of the wide-ranging gifts of the composer whose music is synonymous with America. From the wide-open spaces depicted in his ballet scores Appalachian Spring and Rodeo, to his jazz-infused Music for the Theatre, Copland created a soundtrack of American life that continues to inspire. Audiences will bask in the glory of the Appalachian Spring Suite as originally scored for full orchestra. Hailed for a voice that glows with “perfect enunciation and pleasing warmth” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), bass-baritone William Socolof brings the all charm and grace of Copland’s American folksong arrangements fully to life.

Copland: An American Journey

Sarasota Opera House

We’ll ring in 2026 with a pianist who’s well-admired in both jazz and classical circles. For this all-American program, Aaron Diehl plays a concerto that was written just for him, and Brooklyn-born Aaron Copland quotes cowboy songs to paint a picture of outlaw Billy the Kid. Plus: Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town.

A New Year’s Celebration with the Minnesota Orchestra

Orchestra Hall

BNY Classics showcases unforgettable performances by your Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, featuring timeless masterpieces, thrilling premieres, and renowned guest artists.

Shostakovich's Fifth

Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts

This Thanksgiving, explore cultural roots and the concept of “home.” Simon’s Tales draws on African American folklore, traditions, and spirituals, while Bielawa connects to violin solist Tessa Lark's American roots in Appalachia in her work PULSE. Copland’s theme from Appalachian Spring, based on the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts,” evokes simplicity, peace, and community. In contrast, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, written during a period of personal struggle, reflects his Czech heritage and the political turmoil of his homeland.

Dvořák Symphony No. 7

Cincinnati Music Hall

Kyu-Young Kim Plays Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

The opening piece is Study for Orchestra by Julia Perry, a 20th - century African-American composer . This energetic and rhythmically inventive work reveals the full vitality of American music, bridging the gap between classical tradition and modern language. Next comes the poetry of Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto , brilliantly performed by our principal clarinet, Andrea Fallico. Alternating between jazzy tenderness and virtuoso flights of fancy, this iconic score lets the clarinet sing over intimate, sparkling orchestral colors. Finally, Bruckner's monumental Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" unfolds its mystical forest world, with horns calling out in the mist and majestic orchestral developments. A masterful work that transports us to the heart of nature sublimated by symphonic genius. Under the dynamic direction of Roderick Cox, this contrasting program celebrates the enduring Romantic spirit across centuries and continents.

Échos romantiques

Opéra Berlioz

It's a now iconic masterpiece: Aaron Copland's legendary Fanfare for the Common Man. This music promises pure goosebumps. Together with the ballet music to Billy the Kid, it embodies the sound of America – endless expanses, an unbroken spirit of adventure, a pathos that still resonates today. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's suite from The Sea Hawk offers real adventure. Hollywood was Korngold's new home, and film music his artistic salvation. With Korngold's lush orchestral sound as cinema for the ears, the epic soundtrack to The Sea Hawk promises pure drama. And Sibelius? He is considered the epitome of the Nordic sound. No composer has shaped Finland musically like he has. His Second Symphony is more than "just" music; it is also a story of protest, of hope, of the Finnish struggle for freedom. It is not for nothing that it bears the nickname "Symphony of Independence." A manifesto in music, powerful, courageous, timeless.

Film music & Sibelius | Jonathan Stockhammer

The Bell, Bremen

From Aaron Copland’s soaring Appalachian Spring to Charles Ives enigmatic classic, The Unanswered Question, conductor Andrew Crust takes us on an emotional journey full of discovery. Experience the complex beauty of Earthfall from former VSO Composer in Residence, the late Jocelyn Morlock. Grammy® and Emmy®-winning ensemble, Time for Three, defies conventions with genre-bending excellence. TF3’s recent commission, Contact, has enjoyed performances with the leading orchestras and receives its Vancouver premiere.

Appalachian Spring

Centennial Theatre

Orpheum

Conductor Lawrence Renes takes the podium for an evening of all American composers — John Adams, Aaron Copland and our Artist in Focus Steven Mackey. Seattle Symphony Principal Trumpet David Gordon and English Horn Stefan Farkas take star turns in Aaron Copland’s Quiet City, a gentle reflection of urban melancholy and uncertainty. Next, world-renowned saxophonist Timothy McAllister performs a concerto written especially for him by Grammy-winning composer Steven Mackey, who stretches the bounds of classical music by incorporating rock and blues elements, including electric instrumentation. Finally, John Adams’ moving Harmonielehre melds disparate trends of 20th-century music, from minimalist themes in frenzied rhythms to provocative eruptions of dissonance to dazzlingly cinematic soundscapes.

Mackey Saxophone Concerto

Benaroya Hall

Aurora

University of Alabama

Early one morning, Peter opened the gate and went out into the big green meadow… and if you know Prokofiev’s “symphonic tale for children”, you’ll already be humming that tune. Age doesn’t matter with music as enjoyable as this!

Afternoon Performance: Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf

City Halls

Two: Scenes of Life

Valdosta State University

In another LSO tradition, our annual musical salute to our veterans once again brings together the favorite with the unfamiliar. Violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen -- who amazed us back in 2021 with her reading of the romantic Violin Concerto of Samuel Barber -- returns to La Crosse with a rarity: the Violin Sonata of Aaron Copland -- "The Dean of American Composers" -- in a stunning new orchestral version. And after intermission, in a moment we've long been preparing for, one of the mightiest symphonies of all time: Beethoven's revolutionary "Eroica", with its thrilling call to freedom.

Songs of Freedom

Viterbo University

Join the Culver City Symphony Orchestra and the SoCal Chorale in Veterans Auditorium for an uplifting tribute honoring courage and unity.

Summon the Heroes - a Culver City Symphony Orchestra Veterans Day Concert

Veterans Memorial Park Culver City

Celebrate the spirit of American music with the return of pianist Gabriela Martinez. Enjoy Gershwin’s jazzy Rhapsody in Blue, Bernstein’s vibrant West Side Story Overture, Florence Price’s powerful Concert Overture No. 2, and Copland’s energetic music from the ballet Rodeo.

American Classics

Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts

This performance will include Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," Hayden's "Concerto for Fortepiano in D Major" (featuring soloist Daniel Maltz), and Beethoven's "Symphony No. 7."

NISO Fall concert

Dordt University

1. Chamber Concert: In memory of the victims of fascism and war

Allerheiligen-Hofkirche

Discover what makes a live orchestra concert so special. We’ll take a deep dive into one of the greatest American piano concertos, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, followed by Copland’s lively Suite from Billy the Kid.

Discover Rhapsody in Blue

New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Saddle up, folks, ‘cause we’ve got a rip-roarin’ night of music headed your way! This concert is bringin’ together the grand tales of the old and the trailblazin’ sounds of the new. We’ll kick things off with the mighty fanfare of Wagner’s Meistersinger, a tune fit for a showdown at high noon. Then, hang onto your hats as Viet Cuong’s Re(new)al, featuring the quartet, Sandbox Percussion, rides in with a bold, high-energy twist that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. But the real wild ride begins with Copland’s Billy the Kid—a sweeping, gunslingin’ musical saga of the American West. So, dust off your boots—this is one showdown you won’t want to miss!

Missouri State University

Conductor Case Scaglione leads a program of celebration and inspiration. Copland’s famous Appalachian Spring Suite evokes the simplicity and grandeur of American pioneer life, while Lincoln Portrait sets Abraham Lincoln’s stirring words to music, honoring liberty and unity—perfect for America’s 250th anniversary. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, born from oppression, emerges as a powerful statement of endurance and triumph.

Jacoby Symphony Hall

Rhapsody in Blue

State Theatre New Jersey

Princeton University

Dalia Stasevska leads a program honoring the Ukrainian people. Bohdana Frolyak’s Let There Be Light reflects on the Ukrainian conflict, and Joshua Bell is soloist in Thomas de Hartmann’s Violin Concerto, a work “both heart-wrenching and uplifting,” Bell says, “as gripping and relevant today as when composed during WWII.” The program is bookended by other responses to war: Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem.

Joshua Bell Plays de Hartmann

David Geffen Hall

"From Bernstein to Copland” explores music by these two friends who truly defined American music in the 20th Century. Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from “On the Town” and Copland’s Appalachian Spring are filled with dance, joy and nostalgia. The Waco Symphony welcomes Emily Levin, the principal harp of the Dallas Symphony in Ginastera’s colorful Harp Concerto. Maestro Loh is a champion of the music of Polina Nazaykinskaya and will open the second half with her brand new work, Elegy XXII, a work that yearns for peace amongst conflict, loss and despair. This concert truly showcases the power of music.

From Bernstein to Copland

Baylor University

A concert filled with joyful singing! Follow along on a journey of discovery through the alphabet, with popular songs by Kerstin Andeby from A to Ö – performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Brunnsbo Music Classes. For ages 6-9.

School concert: Maja’s Alphabet Songs

Göteborgs Symfoniker

Stefan Dohr is a living legend. The principal horn player of the Berlin Philharmonic is considered one of the best in the world, if not the best horn player of the present time. Together with the brass players of our orchestra, he opens up a whole musical world, ranging from the brass serenades of Antonín Dvořák and Richard Strauss to Bernstein's "West Side Story" and the famous fanfare by Aaron Copland, composed in 1942 for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which still stands for the strength and unwavering spirit of the "ordinary person." This exclamation also has a response! It comes from Joan Tower, whose "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" also comes from the American music tradition and highlights the extraordinary role of women - powerful, yet in their own way.

Dvořák and Bernstein

Palace of Culture

Chayse Hoefler – Senior Recital

Hamel Music Center

Saddle up for a night of high-energy Western favorites with the Magic Philharmonic Orchestra! Guest conductor Deana Christensen will lead us through iconic soundtracks and spirited classics, including The Magnificent Seven, Hoedown, Dances with Wolves, William Tell Overture, Shenandoah, and more. From sweeping cinematic themes to toe-tapping cowboy rhythms, this family-friendly concert is sure to delight.

The Wild West

Burley High School

Montero Plays Rachmaninoff

Artis–Naples

Scintillating pianist Yuja Wang joins returning conductor Domingo Hindoyan and the BSO in Sergei Prokofiev’s technically challenging Piano Concerto No. 2, a piece that combines the composer’s sardonic humor with his gift for soaring melody. Two American works from the 1940s bracket the concerto. Leonard Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from his 1944 musical On the Town features music referencing such hits as “New York, New York” and the wistful “Lonely Town.” Aaron Copland’s Third Symphony, premiered by the BSO in 1946, includes the uplifting “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

Bernstein, Copland, and Prokofiev with Yuja Wang

Boston Symphony Orchestra

“Back in My Day” offers a generational 300-year history of the orchestra and western music, with pieces from the early 1700s (e.g. Handel’s Water Music) to popular movie scores of the new millennium. At the performance students will see and hear how the orchestra grew in size and sound, receive interesting facts about the composers and learn how their era and environment impacted their musical works. The finale to Haydn’s “Farewell” Symphony played by candlelight, and the KSO debut of 11-year old violinist, Harin Lee, performing the finale of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 are some of the highlights from our historical timeline that ends with John Williams NBC Sunday Night Football Theme .

Back in My Day Education Concert

7 Hills Church

La Mirada Symphony will open the season with The Music of America, a program that celebrates the richness of American composition. The afternoon begins with a pre-concert lecture at 2:15 p.m., followed by the concert at 3:00 p.m. Audiences will experience Jessie Montgomery’s uplifting Hymn for Everyone, Aaron Copland’s stirring Lincoln Portrait, and A Troupe’s Cadence by featured student composer Ethan Chaparro. The program concludes with George Gershwin’s beloved classic, An American in Paris, a vibrant musical journey through the streets of Paris with a distinctly American voice.

The Music of America

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

Copland & Bizet

University of Nevada

Higdon Gershwin Copland

Gasteig HP8

Experience an inspiring evening with Maestro Matthew Troy and the Western Piedmont Symphony as they explore the powerful connection between humanity and nature. Elemental Music brings the natural world to life through vivid orchestral works—featuring birdsong, pastoral scenes, and the forces of creation. From haunting to hopeful, this program invites you to reflect on the elements that shape our world and ourselves.

Masterworks: Elemental Music

Lenoir-Rhyne University

Copland Symphony No. 3

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts

The Reno Phil opens the 57th season of Classix with some of the most celebrated American composers - Gershwin, Copland, and Price. In the pursuit of artistry, pianist Michelle Cann brings her breathtaking virtuosity to the irrepressible jazz rhythms of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, which garnered immediate acclaim for breaking the boundaries between classical and jazz. Even more than 100 years later, it has still not lost its luster. This beloved work is the centerpiece of a journey through America’s musical heartland that also features the long-lost Piano Concerto by pioneering African American composer Florence Price—a jazzy, soulful masterwork Cann has championed since its remarkable rediscovery. Begrudgingly known as the “Dean of American Composers,” Copland’s well-known works will bookend the concert.

American Masters: Copland, Gershwin & Price

Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts

Music Director Matthias Pintscher invites you to this must-see opening weekend featuring two spellbinding ballets performed in their entirety. Appalachian Spring, a shining example of Aaron Copland’s American sound, features the iconic melody “Simple Gifts.” French composer Maurice Ravel composed his ballet Daphnis et Chloé several decades earlier; his passionate melodies and lush orchestration paint a musical portrait of a dreamlike world filled with love and adventure.

Copland's Appalachian Spring

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Radius Ensemble opens their 27th concert season with Augusta Read Thomas’s contemplative Rumi Settings, exploring the “exquisite humanity and raw soul” of the 13th-century mystic and poet Rumi. Next, an early quartet by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů, written while he was a student in Paris. Aaron Copland’s Quiet City for trumpet, English horn, and piano was originally written for a play that closed after only three nights but whose score continues to resonate. Finally, Radius closes with a dazzling work by the Chinese-American composer Fang Man, telling the story of the four dragons who sacrificed themselves for humanity. Celebrity chef and tenor Jason Wang narrates.

Chronicles | Radius Ensemble | Artistic Partner

Longy School of Music of Bard College

She is one of the greats in her field: When Janine Jansen takes up violin and bow, she captivates audiences. One of her favorite violin concertos is Benjamin Britten's – and one of her favorite partners, of course, is the London Symphony Orchestra. This was already clear 15 years ago, when the Dutch violinist recorded the visionary concerto with England's first orchestra.

London Symphony Orchestra / Janine Jansen / Sir Antonio Pappano

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

From Harriet Tubman to Napoleon, the season begins with a salute to freedom fighters and revolutionaries. Copland captures the enduring courage of The Great Emancipator. Stéphane Denève conducts Beethoven’s pioneering Third Symphony.

Reserve your seats for this performance today and enjoy unbeatable savings by subscribing to New World Symphony’s Saturday One or Sunday One series. Starting at just $20 a concert, both series feature illuminating performances with Stéphane Denève, Augustin Hadelich, Manfred Honeck, Kalena Bovell and 87 of the world’s best young musicians. 

Denève: Beethoven's Eroica

New World Center

Feel the power. Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann leads an unforgettable season debut, opening with the iconic Fanfare for the Common Man, music so poignant, so gripping—so quintessentially American—it colors significant moments in our lives, from Olympic events to memorials. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra welcomes the “technically flawless and deeply expressive” (The New York Times) cellist Alisa Weilerstein for an autumnal gem by Edward Elgar, and Stutzmann whips up some orchestral muscle for the opulent tone poem Ein Heldenleben by Richard Strauss.

Opening Weekend with Nathalie Stutzmann

The NSO’s season bursts to life with the sensational Yuja Wang in Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto, a powerhouse work for Wang to flaunt her “scintillating pianism” (New York Classical Review). The evening also shines a spotlight on American voices, from Copland’s resounding Fanfare for the Common Man to Carlos Simon’s Warmth of Other Suns and more. A perfect night for newcomers and longtime symphony lovers alike!

Season Opening Gala Concert: Noseda & Yuja Wang

Kennedy Center

The Knox-Galesburg Symphony opens the 2025-2026 season with a powerful tribute to American spirit and local legacy. Under the direction of Richard Cangro, this program features Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland, with actor Steven Duchrow portraying Carl Sandburg as narrator—a nod to Sandburg’s Grammy-winning 1960 performance. Also on the program are Copland’s stirring Fanfare for the Common Man, Barber’s deeply moving Adagio for Strings, and Gershwin’s vibrant An American in Paris. This unforgettable evening blends music, poetry, theater, and the enduring presence of Carl Sandburg in the heart of Galesburg.

Lincoln Portrait

The Orpheum Theatre

George Meyer is equally interested in “classical” music, in fiddle music, and in what they have in common; these interests inform his composing. His pieces for classical string-playing friends make use of lessons learned from the fiddle side, and vice versa.

1 Revolution

Ridgefield Playhouse

Experience the lyrical beauty and virtuosic flair of Copland’s jazz-infused Clarinet Concerto, performed by Principal Clarinet Giovanni Bertoni. Joel Thompson’s To See the Sky explores themes of resilience and hope, leading into the sweeping grandeur of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, a triumphant work that captures the strength and spirit of humanity

Copland's Clarinet Concerto

Friday Favorites: Dvorák: New World Symphony

UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra

UC Berkeley Department of Music

Celebrations commence as Music Director Stéphane Denève and the SLSO usher in an exhilarating season of reuniting and reveling in the beautifully renovated Powell Hall. The season opens with a trio of fanfares reflecting past, present, and future. Multiple Grammy Award-winning artist Joyce DiDonato and members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus join the orchestra for the world premiere of a song cycle by composer-in-residence Kevin Puts. And with the thundering roar of percussion and brass, Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben tells a triumphant tale of adventure and accomplishment.

Opening Weekend

Powell Hall

Welcome to our season celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States. This program connects the music of Antonin Dvořák who so greatly influenced American Music, with the American composers who followed him, including George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and Aaron Copland.

Made in America: What is the American sound?

The First Presbyterian Church of Stamford

Let's celebrate the musical diversity of the Americas together on September 21 with an event full of incredible rhythms and melodies!

Composer

Aaron Copland

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 3 - Apr 24, 2026

Wind Ensemble – Donald McKinney, conductor · Indiana University Jacobs School of Music

Feb 4, 2026

The Flamboyant Barbara Hannigan · Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

Feb 5, 2026

Wind Symphony · Michigan State University College of Music

Feb 5, 2026

Bruckner's 4th Symphony · Odense Symphony Orchestra

5 - 8 Feb, 2026

American Dreams · CityMusic Cleveland

Past events

Jan 31 - Feb 1, 2026

Cycle Three: Echoes Of The West · Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra

Jan 31 - Feb 1, 2026

Billy The Kid · North State Symphony

About

Aaron Copland hasn't added a bio