Wilbur Lin, Music Director
Xavier Foley, Bass
Jacob Schnitzer, Associate Conductor

Florence PRICE Concert Overture No. 1
Xavier FOLEY Soul Bass Concerto
DVOŘAK Symphony No. 9 “New World”

Our festival opening concert features three pieces inspired by and portraying America from three centuries. Florence Price’s 1939 Concert Overture No. 1 reworks a spiritual “Sinner, Please Don’t Let This Harvest Pass,” where ever-changing orchestral colors interpret many deeply emotional moments. Virtuoso composer Xavier Foley will then play his own Soul Bass concerto, recently finished in 2022, an all-American exposition paying tribute to the diverse styles that weave into the colorful musical tapestry of today. The concert concludes with Dvořak’s famous New World Symphony, the first major symphonic success out of the New World.