The San Luis Obispo Symphony is celebrating the works of great American composers on Saturday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center.
Music Director Andrew Sewell is thrilled to bring “The American Masters” to the Concerts in the Cohan series for the second time. Last year, “The American Masters” concert was the most popular performance of the season, and this year’s event will be even better, paying tribute to some of the most beloved composers in our nation’s history.
The evening will begin in high spirits with the “Dean of American Composers”, Aaron Copland, and his rich and vigorous “El Salón México”. Then, SLO Symphony proudly welcomes special guest soloist Ilya Kaler to perform Samuel Barber’s bewitching and lyrical “Violin Concerto”. One of the most outstanding musicians performing today, Kaler is the only violinist in the world to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1986), the Sibelius Competition in Helsinki (1985), and the Paganini Competition in Genoa (1981).
Following intermission comes a jaunt through 1920’s Harlem. “Strut for String Orchestra” by Michael Daugherty was inspired by actor and vocalist Paul Robeson, and the outburst of creativity that defined the Harlem Renaissance. The evening will close with Leonard Bernstein’s beloved Suite from “On the Waterfront”. Perhaps the most well-known American composer of the twentieth century, Bernstein’s one and only film score is an enduring classic for film buffs and music lovers alike.
Tickets start at $20 and are available online or through the PAC Box Office at (805)-756-4849.
Attendees are invited to come early for Symphonic Forays, an intimate conversation that precedes each performance in our Concerts in the Cohan series. Music Director Andrew Sewell will be joined by Tommy Gong, Clerk-Recorder for San Luis Obispo County. Symphonic Forays begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free for all ticket holders.
For more information, visit slosymphony.org..
About the San Luis Obispo Symphony
For almost 60 years, the San Luis Obispo Symphony has enhanced the cultural landscape of the Central Coast. The orchestra’s Concerts in the Cohan series is an anchor for the city’s state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center. Through its Music Education programs, the Symphony transforms the lives of hundreds of children each year. Boosting classroom education, San Luis Obispo Symphony-trained teachers visit schools throughout the county to provide hands-on musical learning to kids, as well as before- and after-school beginning string programs. The San Luis Obispo Symphony Youth Symphony offers beginning, intermediate and advanced musicians opportunities to learn, expand their musical skills and perform in concerts throughout the year. For more, visit slosymphony.org.