American Icons

Opening this all-American program is Kevin Scott’s Fanfare G.A.F: An American Overture, a brilliant and optimistic romp for orchestra.  The orchestra welcomes back Grammy winner, Kenneth Fuchs to present the Southeast U.S. Premiere of Point of Tranquility.  Fuchs, a favorite of conductor Aaron Collins, is one of the world’s leading composers and has been hailed as an “exemplar of the recovery of American music.”   The work is inspired by the painting of the same name by abstract artist Morris Louis.  “The coloristic freedom and shape” suggested by the painting were the inspiration from which Fuchs developed this powerful work. Celebrated pianist Alessandro de Fonseca makes his debut with your SCSO to dazzle audiences with a performance of George Gershwin’s unforgettable Variations on I Got Rhythm, brimming with youthful energy, captivating rhythms, originality, and a sense of musical exploration.  Aaron and the orchestra will also perform Leonard Bernstein’s legendary Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, a lively score featuring the musical’s most memorable moments—from shouts of “Mambo!” to the wistful final chords of “Somewhere.”  The concert is rounded out with Duke Ellington’s Three Black Kings, which brings together kings of old and recent history, telling the stories of Balthazar, King Solomon, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This magnificent work is a rich symphonic tapestry that weaves jazz, gospel, and classical influences together, the past and the present uniting.