Hear some of the best in American classical repertoire in this bright orchestral program.

When violinist Nicola Benedetti played Wynton Marsalis’s Violin Concerto, the Chicago Tribune raved, writing, “there’s no question that Marsalis has created a work of lustrous appeal, its inherent accessibility and vivid colors suggesting that it could well become a repertory piece.” Come judge for yourself.

What began as a challenge for Copland to please Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Serge Koussevitzky, who commissioned the Third Symphony, ended up as a post-war testament “reflect[ing] the euphoric spirit of the country at the time.” Copland based the last movement on his Fanfare for the Common Man. Copland’s title came from a 1942 political speech which hailed the coming of the “Century of the Common Man.” Rarely in twentieth-century music do we hear a piece so unabashedly heroic and optimistic, without a shred of cynicism. As Leonard Bernstein said of it, “[Copland’s] symphony has become an American monument, like the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial.”

Celebrate American music with AMFS Music Director Robert Spano and the extraordinary Nicola Benedetti!