From Paris to Vienna, the Appalachian Mountains to the streets of New York City, the music for Classics in the Cohan on Veterans Day, November 11th at 8 p.m. will take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster ride as the San Luis Obispo Symphony plays iconic and popular American composers George Gershwin, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein in an Americana Salute to Veterans and First Responders in the Performing Arts Center. Metropolitan Opera virtuoso baritone Jubilant Sykes brings an unsurpassed voice to traditional spirituals and libretto to Mozart’s famed aria “Non Piu Andrai” heightening the shared experience. Tickets are available at PACSLO.org.
Gershwin
Toe tapping, seat swaying, flag waving, pride swelling and tears of remembrance and beauty, the musical themes of the toil, longing and joy of the common man weaves its way through the concert. It begins with Gershwin’s American in Paris, a lively and energetic orchestration of the City of Lights, the infusion of the jazz era and the longing for home by the composer in the memorable melody. Gershwin wrote of the piece, “My purpose here is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere.” The music premiered in Carnegie Hall in 1928 and was later adapted for the film of the same name in 1951. Sadly, Gershwin never saw the success of the Academy Award Winning Best Picture, having died at the age of 38 in 1937.
Sykes
Jubilant Sykes is comfortable singing in any genre. For him, “Singing is like breathing — it’s an extension of me. I don’t think it is extraordinary. It’s my passion.” That passion will be on stage as Sykes sings different genres – opera, folk and spiritual – for the concert. It begins with “Non Piu Andrai” or “You Shall Go No More” from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figero. First performed in Vienna in 1786, the aria is sung by Figero to Cherubino, the Count Almaviva’s page, on his banishment to the military for his incessant flirting. Next, Sykes sings Simple Gifts, adapted by Aaron Copland from on old Shaker song written by Joseph Brackett in 1848. The melody for the Copland score was first heard in Martha Graham’s ballet Appalachian Spring in 1944. Motherless Child is a traditional spiritual that dates back to slavery in the U.S. The song expresses the pain of a child being separated from parents, either by death or torn apart through the sale to different masters.
Copland
Recognizable in the first three notes from the timpani, used in military ceremonies, 911 memorials, as the Olympics theme and in a myriad of occasions, Farefare for the Common Man by Copland was written in 1942 during WWII. Commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the fanfare was inspired by a speech from the then Vice President proclaiming “The Century of the Common Man.” The short brass and percussion piece has inspired many composers to adapt it to major themes in film, including John Williams’ scores for Superman and Saving Private Ryan.
Bernstein
As poignant and relevant today as it was in 1957 when it debuted on Broadway, West Side Story is a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story that focused on the social problems of race and changed American Theatre. No one could have written a better score than the iconic Leonard Bernstein, the dynamic music director and conductor of the New York Philharmonic. New York was his town and the brilliance of the music, combined with the book by Arthur Laurents, the words by Stephen Sondheim (in his Broadway debut) and choreography by Jerome Robbins, garnered six Tony Awards and the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1961. The Symphony celebrates the anniversary of Bernstein’s 100th birthday by playing West Side Story Symphonic Dances. The jazz and latin influences in the music make it one of the most popular scores on Broadway and film.
Concert Tickets and Pricing
Single Tickets are now on sale at PACSLO.org or by calling the box office at 805-756- 4849. Single ticket prices for the 2017-18 Season are $20, $40, $70, $75, and $80.
The three-concert Chamber Series subscription is $92. New Year’s Eve POPS ticket prices range from $25 to $90.
About the San Luis Obispo Symphony:
The San Luis Obispo Symphony was established in 1954 by a small group of 11 musicians called the Morro Bay Community Orchestra. The SLO Symphony was incorporated in 1961 and, in its 57-year history, has grown significantly to become a leading arts institution in the community with 70 orchestra members under the direction of Maestro Andrew Sewell.
The Symphony produces 12+ concerts per year in San Luis Obispo County and educates local youth through a large Youth Symphony program with five ensembles and music education programs with 10 school-based programs, a Music Van that visits local schools and a Musical Petting Zoo that introduces instruments to youth at community events. The Symphony music education programs have touched more than 16,000 youth per year in it 54-year tenure.
In 2017-18, the San Luis Obispo Symphony welcomes its new music director Andrew Sewell who will program and conduct the Classics in the Cohan concert series, the New Year’s Eve POPS concert and its Chamber series. For further information, please visit slosymphony.org.