July 15, 2020 7:00-8:00pm ET | Live Stream

SIMPLE GIFTS

Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Christopher Wilkins, conductor
Hosted by Emmett G. Price III, Landmarks Orchestra Board of Advisors Member

Scott Joplin Treemonisha Overture, arr. Richard Benjamin

Aaron Copland Quiet City

Valerie Coleman Umoja

Jeff Scott Startin’ Sumthin’

Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring Suite (original version)

Two beloved works by composers from very different backgrounds—both unmistakably American—highlight the opening concert: Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha. The Americanness of these pieces comes from their fusion of New World tunes with classical style, and the vigor of their rooted-in-the-soil dance rhythms. Recent creations by two Black artists now at the forefront of American musical life, Valerie Coleman and Jeff Scott, swing with euphoric energy in the tradition of American eclecticism.