American Rhapsody: Season Finale Concert 5
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Clayton Stephenson, pianist (return to CS)

Program:
Seth PAE Miles Davis Tribute (Title TBA) (Chicago Sinfonietta commission in honor of 100th anniversary of Davis’ birth)
George GERSHWIN Rhapsody in Blue
    with Clayton Stephenson, pianist
William DAWSON Negro Folk Symphony

Chicago Sinfonietta closes its 38th season with a nod to the upcoming 250th anniversary of our country, and ignites a bold, inclusive vision of America with vibrant, emotional works both current and past that pay homage to resilience, culture, American flair, and hope. One glorious note at a time.

Chicago Sinfonietta has commissioned a bold new symphonic tribute honoring the 100th birthday of jazz icon Miles Davis—born in Alton, Illinois and raised just outside Chicago. Composed by Chicago Sinfonietta’s very own Assistant Principal Violist Seth Pae, this powerful premiere reimagines the boundary-breaking spirit of a legend who forever changed the sound of American music.

Rising star pianist Clayton Stephenson returns to Chicago Sinfonietta (his debut was September 17 and 19, 2016 at Naperville's Wenzt Concert Hall and Chicago's Symphony Hall in "Unhinged" which featured the then 17-year old piano phenom  joining renowned piano duo Anderson and Roe for a two-piano-and-orchestra version of Stravinsky’s Petrushka, a solo performance with the orchestra of George Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm Variations.) to perform  Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue— a genre- bending classic bursting with jazz swagger, lyrical blues, and unmistakable American flair.

The concert closes with William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony - a Sinfonietta signature piece, having first been performed in 1988 under late founder Paul Freeman and multiple times since. Considered a towering, emotional masterpiece, and rooted in African American spirituals and traditions, Dawson’s work remains a stirring tribute to resilience, heritage, and hope.