On December 11 at the TAQA Theater De Vest and on December 12 at Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra will give a concert that showcases the wonderful variety in the first generation of modern American composers. Antonín Dvořák wrote the New World Symphony in the late 1800’s during his time as director of the new conservatorium in New York, hoping to lay the foundation for America’s own classical music culture. It took a while, but 20 years later composer Aaron Copland brought classical music and jazz together while George Gershwin mixed popular swing music into his pieces. Leonard Bernstein then put America on the World Stage with famous works such as the West Side Story and Chichester Psalms. A small selection of their works will be performed on these two evenings as part of the ‘Born in the USA’ series. Read more and buy your tickets here (in Dutch).
Image credit: Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra by Ronald Knapp