American Refuge 

Wednesday, March 10th at 7:30 PM Premiere

STREAMING on YOUTUBE

While this concert will be available for FREE online, please consider supporting us with a virtual ticket.

Join us in concert from the Heritage Museums & Gardens as we premiere Cody Forrest's "Refuge" and music of Ives, Copland, and William Grant Still.

We are pairing this impressive collection of American cars with American music; Aaron Copland’s Quiet City featuring Kyle Spraker, trumpet & Mary O’Keefe, english horn, William Grant Still’s Serenade, Charles Ives’ The Unanswered Question, and a world premiere piece titled Refuge by our composer-in-residence Cody Forrest. About his work Cody writes: “Refuge is a simple, humble piece with straight-forward ideas and transparent textures. While there are passing shadows, the prevailing spirit of Refuge is of warmth and comfort, a realm of peace to clear the mind and draw breath.”

Aaron Copland’s Quiet City started as music for the 1939 Irwin Shaw play by the same name, but after two unsuccessful performances, has lived on as a work for trumpet, english horn, and strings. It is music filled with nostalgia and an eagerness to return to a past life; as the main character of Shaw’s play is haunted by his abandoned aspirations to become an artist, it is easy to see the parallels for us to return to a sense of normalcy in our world today. Likewise, Charles Ives’ Unanswered Question asks us something similar; when will this end?

Program:

Charles Ives | The Unanswered Question

Aaron Copland | Quiet City

Cody Forrest | Refuge

William Grant Still | Serenade