American Voices

: Auburn Symphony Orchestra continues its annual celebration of American music with iconic and newly-embraced works. American Voices will be performed Sunday, October 15 at 2:30 PM in the Auburn Performing Arts Center. Tickets and information can be found at auburnsymphony.org or by calling the box office at 253-887-7777. Ticket pricing is $40 ($32 seniors, $12 students/families).
There is a lot on offer at this concert including a student Mariachi performance, guest expert discussion, Latin beats, Broadway familiarity, a contemporary composition and a new edition of a once-lost work. This is truly a celebration of musical voices of America.

The most familiar piece will be the Latin beats from Leonard Bernstein’s 1957 smash musical, West Side Story, including tunes like Maria and I Feel Pretty. Mariachitlán by Juan Pablo Contreras (born 1987, Guadalajara, Mexico) is a loving homage to the Mexican state of Jalisco, the birthplace of Mariachi. Tying in with the theme, there will be a performance by Auburn School District Mariachi in the lobby before the concert.

The opening piece is William Levi Dawson’s epic Negro Folk Symphony which premiered nearly 90 years ago to great acclaim. This music is experiencing a resurgence with a new score edited by local scholar, Dr. Gwynne Kuhner Brown. Brown is a musicologist at the University of Puget Sound whose recent research and writing is focused on the life and work of William L. Dawson. She has also published on George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Brown will give an in-person talk about the music at 1:30 PM before the concert.