PBS' Great Performances to Present Peter Boyer's 'Ellis Island: The Dream Of America With Pacific Symphony'

PBS's Great Performances and Pacific Symphony, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, pay tribute to America's history and celebrate the historic American immigrant experience with a special Independence Day weekend program of composer Peter Boyer's Grammy-nominated contemporary classical work "Ellis Island: The Dream of America," broadcast nationally on PBS on Friday, July 3 at 9 p.m. (PDT).

Using texts from the Ellis Island Oral History Project and historic Ellis Island images in combination with an original orchestral score, "Ellis Island" features seven, first-hand stories of immigrants dramatically interpreted by guest stars Barry Bostwick, Camryn Manheim, Michael Nouri, Lesley Fera, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Samantha Sloyan and Kira Sternbach. Over 40 percent of the U.S. population can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island and immigration remains at the forefront of global news. "Ellis Island" captures the emotions, elation and uncertainties of America's epic immigrant experience. The special was recorded by Great Performances at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in 2017 during Pacific Symphony's 17th American Composers Festival, before capacity audiences, including nearly 40 recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Peter Boyer's "Ellis Island: The Dream of America" premiered in 2002 to great acclaim. It has since received nearly 200 performances by more than 80 orchestras and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Contemporary Composition in 2005.

A co-production of Pacific Symphony and THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET in association with PBS SoCal, Great Performances, "Ellis Island: The Dream of America with Pacific Symphony" was directed for stage and television by Matthew Diamond and produced by John Walker; with Shawn Murphy as audio producer, production design by Matt Steinbrenner, lighting design by Bob Barnhart and projection design by Perry Freeze. For Great Performances, Bill O'Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.