What’s Interesting About This Concert
- After a rapturous reception at its Carnegie Hall debut, William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony, quickly disappeared into obscurity. This American masterpiece is only now starting to receive the attention it merits.
- Famed jazz pianist Marcus Roberts and his trio bring a modern interpretation to George Gershwin’s beloved Rhapsody in Blue.
- Samuel Barber, famous as the composer of Adagio for Strings, takes all the main elements of a traditional four-movement symphony and condenses them into one movement in his innovative Symphony No.1.
Concerts Should Be Fun
Why ask people to behave differently at symphony orchestra concerts than just about all other entertainment experiences? The California Symphony is changing that.
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Free pre-concert talk begins an hour before the show -
Bring your drinks to your seats -
Phones on and silent allowed -
Clap when you like what you hear
The Program
Samuel BarberSymphony No.1, in One Movement
George GershwinRhapsody in Blue
William DawsonNegro Folk Symphony
Featured Artists
What You'll Hear
Launch YouTube PlaylistDeep Dive
- Program Notes — GERSHWIN IN NEW YORK
- Insights & Influences: Gershwin in New York (VIDEO)
- Scott Foglesong’s Rhapsody in Blue Program Notes (VIDEO)
- NPR: Rhapsody in Blue: Gershwin at his Greatest
- 60 Minutes, The Virtuoso: Marcus Roberts (VIDEO)
- Exploring Rhapsody: A New Take on Gershwin with Marcus Roberts
- Donato Cabrera on Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
- Rhapsody in Blue: A Young Clarinetist’s Obsession
- NPR: Someone Finally Remembered William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony
- Donato Cabrera on William Levi Dawson
- William Dawson and the Rebirth of the Chicago Renaissance
- Classic FM: Samuel Barber: A Life
Meet the Trailblazers of Gershwin In New York:
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