SDSO to Showcase Dvorak's NEW WORLD SYMPHONY Next Month

On March 5 & 6, 2016, the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) welcomes world-renowned musicologist Joseph Horowitz to Sioux Falls for "Dvorak and America."

The first half of the program features Lakota Scholar Ronnie Theisz, Lakota Elder Chris Eagle Hawk, and the Creekside Singers, and will engage the audience in a dialogue that provides insight into Dvorak's discovery of Native American and African American music. The second half of the performance features a complete performance of Dvorak's Ninth Symphony, "From the New World." Immediately following the program, the audience is invited to participate in a post-concert discussion with Mr. Horowitz on the issues addressed in the program.

Joseph Horowitz has been a pioneering force in the development of cross-disciplinary thematic programming, new concert formats, and is an expert on Dvorak 's works. He says of Dvorak, "... with his rustic roots and egalitarian temperament, Dvorak was precisely the kind of cultural nationalist to inspire Americans."

'Dvorak and America' will mark the second time the Lakota Music Project is featured on the main stage alongside the SDSO. Designed to build bridges between whites and Native Americans, advance cultural understanding, and create an environment of openness and collaboration through music, the Lakota Music Project was created between 2005 and 2008 with leaders of the Lakota community and the SDSO.

Led by Keeper of the Drum, Emmanuel Black Bear, the Creekside Singers are a Lakota Drumming Group from the Pine Ridge Reservation. Other members include Tim Black Bear, John Black Bear, and Charlie Eagle Hawk. The Creekside Singers perform at Pow-Wows throughout the Midwestern United States. In 2013, Emmanuel Black Bear won the Native American Music Award for "Best Pow-Wow Recording."

The SDSO will perform 'Dvorak and America' Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. at the Washington Pavilion. Tickets can be purchased online at sdsymphony.org or by calling the Washington Pavilion box office at (605) 367 - 6000. The SDSO will also travel to Sisseton, SD, to perform 'Dvorak and America' on Monday, March 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the Sisseton Performing Arts Center.

The Crescendo Program offers $10 tickets to all Classical Series performances to anyone under the age of 35 as well as free tickets for children with the purchase of an adult ticket to any Classical Series concert. In addition, members of the community who have never attended an SDSO performance before can receive a complimentary ticket to their first Classical Series concert. To participate in the Crescendo Program, call the box office at (605) 367-6000.

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