The South Bend Symphony and Music Director Alastair Willis Present Dvořák’s New World on Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. at the Morris Performing Arts Center. In the final concert of the Jack M. Champaigne Masterworks Series, Dvořák’s New World is a testament to Antonín Dvořák’s prediction that the future of classical music would be found in the United States rather than Europe.
Legendary African-American tenor George Shirley joins the Symphony as narrator in this meticulously crafted program. The performance begins with excerpts from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” followed by Jerod Impichcha̱achaaha’ Tate’s spirited Chokfi’, drawing inspiration from Chickasaw folklore. Florence Price’s evocative Ethiopia’s Shadow in America continues the exploration of American classical music.
To end the final concert of our 2023-24 Subscription Series, Antonín Dvořák’s famous Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” will enchant audiences with its richness and power. The four-movement orchestral work showcases Dvořák’s mastery of orchestration and his ability to infuse his compositions with the spirit of folk music and nationalistic pride.
“It is a privilege to be part of this event and reflect on Dvořák’s New World…” George Shirley writes, “the New World that held so much promise, some of which has been realized and much of which remains unachieved. The hope enkindled by the birth of the New World so tellingly embodied in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 remains a dream deferred that persistently and rightfully challenges our determination and ability to make it a reality.”
The South Bend Symphony Orchestra thanks Jack M. Champaigne for supporting the Masterworks Series and Jordan Lexus of Mishawaka for being a distinguished Artistic Sponsor of the 2023-24 Season, reflecting their commitment to fostering artistic excellence and enriching the community through exceptional musical experiences.
SINGLE TICKETS start at $19, and all tickets include the pre-concert talk that starts at 6:30 p.m.
ONLINE – morriscenter.org/upcoming-events or www.southbendsymphony.org
PHONE – Morris Performing Arts Center Box Office 574-235-9190
(10 am – 4 pm, Tuesday – Wednesday, 10 am – 5:30 pm, Thursday – Friday)
IN-PERSON – Visit the Morris Box Office (211 N. Michigan St., South Bend) during the times listed above or two hours before any performance or stop by the Symphony Office (127 N. Michigan St., South Bend) between 10 am – 4 pm, Tuesday – Wednesday and
10 am – 5:30 pm, Thursday – Friday.
To VIEW the 2023-24 Season schedule, visit www.southbendsymphony.org Dates, programs, and venues are subject to change.
For questions or media appearances, please contact Sarah Perschbacher, sperschbacher@southbendsymphony.org or 574-230-4875
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About the South Bend Symphony Orchestra
The South Bend Symphony inspires the community with the transformative power of orchestral music in all its forms by producing 20 mainstage programs, serving more than 23,000 attendees annually. As the region’s only professional orchestra, the Symphony is committed to diverse sound and a robust arts community in Michiana that entertains and connects people to music.
In addition to being recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and other state and local arts funding organizations, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra is the recipient of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County’s Leighton Award for Nonprofit Excellence, which recognizes the best-run nonprofit organization in St. Joseph County, Indiana.
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About George Shirley
George Shirley (tenor) is in demand nationally and internationally as performer, teacher and lecturer. He has won international acclaim for his performances in the world’s great opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera (New York), Royal Opera (Covent Garden, London), Deutsche Oper (Berlin), Téatro Colón (Buenos Aires), Netherlands Opera (Amsterdam), L’Opéra de Monte Carlo, New York City Opera, Scottish Opera (Glasgow), Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington Opera (Kennedy Center), Michigan Opera Theater, Glyndebourne Festival, and Santa Fe Opera.
He has recorded for RCA, Columbia, Decca, Angel, Vanguard, CRI, and Philips and received a Grammy Award in 1968 for his role (Ferrando) in the RCA recording of Mozart’s Così fan tutte.
In addition to oratorio and concert literature, Shirley has, in a career that spans 49 years, performed more than 80 operatic roles in major opera houses around the globe with many of the world’s most renowned conductors (Solti, Klemperer, Stravinsky, Ormandy, von Karajan, Colin Davis, Boehm, Ozawa, Haitink, Boult, Leinsdorf, Boulez, DePriest, Krips, Cleva, Dorati, Pritchard, Bernstein, Maazel, and others).
Professor Shirley was the first African-American to be appointed to a high school teaching post in music in Detroit, the first African-American member of the United States Army Chorus in Washington, D.C., and the first African-American tenor and second African-American male to sing leading roles with the Metropolitan Opera, where he remained for eleven years.
Shirley has served on three occasions as a master teacher in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program for Young NATS Teachers. He was also a member of the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School for ten years.
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About Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate
Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate is a classical composer, citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, and is dedicated to the development of American Indian classical composition. The Washington Post selected him as one of “22 for ’22: Composers and performers to watch this year” and raved about his rare ability to “effectively infuse classical music with American Indian nationalism.” His commissioned works have been performed by the National Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Colorado Ballet, and many more.
Tate was appointed a 2022 Chickasaw Hall of Fame inductee, 2021 Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State, and is a governor-appointed Creativity Ambassador for the State of Oklahoma. He won an Emmy for his work on the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority documentary, The Science of Composing, and his music was featured on the HBO series Westworld. Tate served as Guest Composer, conductor, and pianist for San Francisco Symphony’s Currents Program, and was a Guest Composer for Metropolitan Museum of Art’s program Home with ETHEL and Friends.
Tate’s middle name, Impichchaachaaha’, means “his high corncrib” and is his inherited traditional Chickasaw house name.