The WSO launches its Celebrating Neighborly Voices season with a celebration of the American Spirit—one that constantly moves forward, creating a better future. We welcome back Erin Keefe, Concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra, to open our year of American music.
A distant trumpet opens a dreamscape of longing, memory, and hope. Tenor Darius Gillard, VP of Impact at Minnesota Opera, joins the WSO for H. Leslie Adams’ Nightsongs before the program rises toward William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony.
Made for curious listeners of every age, America Singing welcomes children and newcomers into the orchestra’s world. Meet the instrument families, discover a commission, and travel from Bernstein’s Mambo to Márquez’s Danzón No. 2.
Langston Hughes’ vision frames an evening of reflection and resolve. From Hailstork’s fanfare to Florence Price’s Songs of Oak and Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, this is music that asks who we are—and who we might yet become.
The season closes in color: fanfares, wide rivers, a flash of Sousa, and Frank Ticheli’s Blue Shades. Van Cliburn prizewinner Evren Ozel joins the WSO for Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.