Ellington & Dvořák: New World

Saturday, October 14, 2023
8:00 PM (EST)

Performance Lineup

Valerie Coleman Umoja

Coleman starts the season with a whisper, then a gorgeous melody rises evoking the power and sweetness of Umoja, the Swahili word for unity. The whole orchestra takes it up and you’re on the edge of your seat with this joyous, full-throated cry for community.

Still Out of the Silence    

A wedding present for his bride, Still’s Out of the Silence, brought out of silence by Aaron Diehl and the New Jersey Symphony, is a gentle and ethereal little hymn written in the depths of the Great Depression. Still’s wife said of it: “Only in meditation does one discover beauties remote from the problems of Earth.”

Ellington New World A-Comin’    

Ellington created this lush musical portrait of a “new world where there would be no war, no greed—where love was unconditional.” What better way to start the season than with the Aaron Diehl Trio and the genius of jazz, Sir Duke!

Dvořák Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”    

A Czech visitor to America, Dvořák sought out and loved the songs of Indigenous and Black people. Blending their inspiration with his imagination, he created one of the most beloved concert works of all time.

Aaron Diehl is the winner of the 2011 American Pianists Awards.