Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor
Angel Blue Soprano
Aucoin Suite from Eurydice (world premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra commission)
Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915
Coleman This Is Not a Small Voice (world premiere—Philadelphia Orchestra commission)
Price Symphony No. 1
Program Notes
In a performance grounded in our shared connection to a sense of place, soprano Angel Blue transports us to Knoxville: Summer of 1915 through Samuel Barber’s dream-like depiction of the world through the eyes of a child. Valerie Coleman creates an inspiring new vocal work to a text by Philadelphia poet Sonia Sanchez. Florence Price paints an orchestral picture of her life as a Black woman raised in the Post-Civil War South in her First Symphony, steeped in American folk music, spirituals, and church hymns. In 1933, this piece was the first symphonic work by a Black woman to be played by a major American orchestra. Plus, the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s Suite from his opera Eurydice.
Pre-Show Performance on Thursday, February 3
Join us for a pre-show performance on the Commonwealth Plaza stage on Thursday, February 3, at 6:00 PM. Experience a special reading of the new children’s book Who Is Florence Price?, written and illustrated by middle school students at Kaufman Music Center’s Special Music School, NYC's only K-12 public school that teaches music as a core subject. The students's book tells the story of a brilliant musician who prevailed against race and gender prejudices to become the first Black woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer and to be performed by a major American orchestra in 1933. Special Music School students will perform works by Florence Price as part of the pre-concert experience.