The CSO proudly presents “America the Beautiful,” an evening dedicated to celebrating the rich tapestry of American life and music. Featuring an eclectic selection of orchestral favorites, a centerpiece of the evening will be Aaron Copland’s renowned composition, Lincoln Portrait.

A work that exemplifies the unifying power of music. Lincoln Portrait was composed in 1942 during the tumultuous times of World War II. In his seamless blend of original composition, Copland integrated excerpts from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address with two iconic American folk songs of the era, creating a moving and patriotic homage to one of America’s greatest leaders.

 The CSO will also feature a piece written by composer and musician Margaret Bonds, the first African American soloist to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a 20-year-old pianist. Her work, Montgomery Variations, was written in 1963, during a period of racial turmoil in America when the fire bombing of the Birmingham, Alabama 16th Street Baptist Church occurred. This piece was seldomly played publically and was recorded for the first time in 2021. This piece consists of a group of freestyle variations of the same theme in the same key.

The closing finale will be Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, one of the most recognizable and beloved pieces of the mid-20th century. This piece incorporates Dvorak’s reflections on life in America and was composed in the early 1890s, while he was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America.