A note from the Maestro: In paying tribute to the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, our programming was chosen to represent a wide berth of compositional contributions from various corners of the U.S. Pairing Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman with Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man gives us a unique opportunity of reflection across the decades. Valerie Colman’s Umoja (Anthem of Unity) is now a staple in concert halls across the nation, and the New England Triptych by William Schuman takes us on a musical journey to a New England of the not-so-distant past. Our season finale concert culminates in a suite of much-beloved music from George Gershwin’s opera, “Porgy and Bess.”

Program

Joan Tower  |  Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
Aaron Copland  |  Fanfare for the Common Man
Valerie Coleman  |  Umoja (Anthem of Unity)
William Schuman  |  New England Triptych
George Gershwin  |  Porgy and Bess: A Concert of Songs
arr. Robert Russell Bennett
Denisha Ballew, Soprano
Keenan McCarter, Baritone
University of Maine Singers & Oratorio Society