New West Symphony presents Pianist Lara Downes & the New World Symphony at Bank of America Performing Arts Center

American music stirs the soul in a way like none other. Performance Today's 2022 Classical Woman of the Year, pianist Lara Downes explores sounds of America’s ragtime era and the 2024 GRAMMY® Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Rounds, by Jessie Montgomery. The Washington Post described Rounds as “...a revelation and a reinforcement of Montgomery’s reliably vital voice as a composer." Dvořák’s New World Symphony blends Bohemian fantasy with Midwestern and Southern melodies and charm. Award-winning photo historian Joseph Sohm's dramatic photography intensifies Dvořák’s epic score. 

Michael Christie, conductor
Lara Downes, piano
Joseph Sohm, story & visuals

Adolphus Hailstork | Three Spirituals for Orchestra – “Every Time I Feel the Spirit, Kum Ba Yah, Oh Freedom”
Blake/Arroyo | “Love Will Find a Way”
Jessie Montgomery | Rounds for Piano and String Orchestra
Joplin/Buck | Two Rags for Piano and Orchestra (Elite Syncopations, Maple Leaf Rag)
Dvořák | Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”
accompanied by stunning images by Joseph Sohm

Encore: Audience sing-along