Erie Philharmonic Gallops into the New Year

Contributed

The Erie Philharmonic kicks off 2026 with a concerto of American contemporary classical works, featuring Aaron Copland's Rodeo, among others, and violin soloist Alexi Kenney.

SATURDAY. JAN. 31

The Erie Philharmonic is curating 2026 with a January concerto of American contemporary classical works, featuring Aaron Copland's Rodeo. In performance, the concert showcases George Walker's Lyric for Strings, Randell Thompson's Symphony No. 2, and Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto featuring Alexi Kenney as featured soloist.

"He's one of the most interesting composers ever, but he was very much influenced by the modernists like Stravinsky and Schoenberg," Erie Philharmonic Music Director Daniel Meyer recalls about Copland's musical influences for Rodeo. His other ballets, including Billy the Kid and Appalachian Spring had mass appeal for popular audiences with the ingenuity and energy of a modernist masterwork. "With Rodeo, you've got these old cowboy tunes mixed with brilliant orchestration, rhythmic vitality, and the simplicity of American folk music. This specific cocktail somehow resonated with many audience members over the years."

Copland and Stravinsky both incorporated other art forms into their compositions, specifically dance. Stravinsky's collaboration with Vaslav Nijinsky on the choreography for The Rite of Spring famously shocked the classical music and dance circles during its 1913 premiere in Paris. For Rodeo, Aaron Copland worked with Agnes de Mille early in her career as a dancer at the American Ballet Theater, staging it specifically for the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo. De Mille would go on to choreograph the Broadway smash hits Oklahoma, Carousel, and Brigadoon.

The influence of fellow composers also extends to George Walker, who became the first Black composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for Lilacs. Fifty years before Columbia University's recognition, Walker was a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied piano under Rudolf Serkin. Lyric for Strings was dedicated to his grandmother, Melvina King, and premiered in 1946 under the direction of Seymour Lipkin.

For Meyer, programming Copland, Thompson, Walker, and Barber in the same concert was intentional, as their musical connection as contemporary American composers extends beyond their eras. Walker and Barber were classmates in Rosario Scalero's composition class at the Curtis Institute and would remain friends throughout their professional careers. Randall Thompson would also serve as one of Barber's teachers at Curtis, and Walker would continue his studies in composition under Copeland's mentor Nadia Boulanger.

"Barber composed Adagio for Strings, and Lyric for Strings is a kindred spirit," Meyer explains. The sheer beauty and lyricism, the ability to create music with this gorgeous, unfolding melody with beautiful harmonies – it's quite special and serves as a nice foil to some of the more rhythmically driven and energetic pieces."

Every composition in this program is a kindred spirit, as these composers all deliver a distinctly American voice in the world of classical music.

7:30 p.m. // Warner Theatre, 811 State St. // $17-$63 // For tickets and info: eriephil.org