Experience the wide range of ideas, sounds, and cultures that have inspired composers from the Americas in the 20th century. The program opens and closes with vibrant, beloved classics by Copland and Gershwin brought about by their travels to Latin America. In between are short personal statements inspired by things close to each composers’ heart—their relationship with religion, their interpretation of native folk music, and a deeply intimate reaction to the death of a friend. Take a trip in sound from the pulsating dance hall to the quietest prayer in this exploration of music from the Western Hemisphere.