American Composer Project: Gershwin

Saturday, September 26, 2026, 3:00 p.m.
Golden Bears Theater | Temecula Valley High School

Today’s Program

Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981)
Shift, Change, Turn for Chamber Orchestra (2019)

George Gershwin (1898 – 1937), orchestrated by Tim Berens
Rhapsody in Blue

Ines Irawati, piano soloist

INTERMISSION

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904), arr. Iain Farrington
Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”

I. Adagio – Allegro molto
II. Largo
III. Scherzo. Molto vivace
IV. Finale. Allegro con fuoco

This concert is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts 

About Our Artistic Director and Conductor

Members of the California Chamber Orchestra

California Chamber Orchestra musicians in this concert are members of The American Federation of Musicians, Local 325

Program Notes

Our opening piece on tonight’s program is by GRAMMY Award-winning composer, violinist and educator Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981). Named Composer of the Year by Musical America in 2023, Montgomery is among the most celebrated contemporary American composers of our time. Her piece, Shift, Change Turn (2019) was commissioned by the Orpheus and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras. She writes about the piece, “Inspired by Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, Shift, Change, Turn is my opportunity to contribute to the tradition of writing a piece based on the seasons, as change and rotation is something that we all experience as humans. This piece is a musical exploration of both the external and internal seasons, which at times seem to be changing along the same axis.”

Speaking of time, George Gershwin (1898-1937) did not have much time to write Rhapsody in Blue in 1924. Just five weeks before the premiere, George’s brother Ira read a newspaper article announcing that George was due to debut a new piano concerto on a concert of new American music. This was a surprise to George. The concert’s organizer, bandleader Paul Whiteman, had not gotten George’s confirmation before the announcement was printed. Somehow Whiteman persuaded George to finish the piece in time for the concert. Gershwin first wrote a two-piano score, and Whiteman’s arranger Ferde Grofé arranged the music for jazz band.

Influenced by the growing American jazz trend, Gershwin and Grofé infused jazz flavor everywhere in this new piece. From the iconic clarinet glissando at the start to the punchy orchestral rhythms and improvisatory solo piano, Gershwin created a musical kaleidoscope of urban America.

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue premiered on February 12, 1924 at Aeolian Hall in New York City. The audience at the premiere was entranced, and Gershwin became an overnight jazz-classical crossover sensation. We are delighted to welcome pianist Ines Irawati as soloist for this iconic American work.

Composers began building an American sound decades before Gershwin, as is evidenced in Antonín Dvořák’s (1841-1904) Symphony No. 9, “From the New World. Dvořák, a Czech composer by birth, was a well-known artist in Europe before becoming the Director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York City in 1892. During his few years in the United States, Dvořák wrote two of his most well-known works: his cello concerto and the Symphony No. 9 which was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and premiered on December 16, 1893 at Carnegie Hall.

In his 4-movement symphony, Dvorak used American folk tunes and style to build the basic structure of his traditional orchestral work. Like other composers before him (for example, Tchaikovsky, who frequently included Russian and Ukrainian folk tunes in his scores), Dvorak wanted to create a grand symphony based on American musical motifs.

In his famous essay, “Music in America,” he wrote: “Nothing must be too low or too insignificant for the musician. When he walks, he should listen to every whistling boy, every street singer or blind organ player. It is a sign of barrenness, indeed, when such characteristic bits of music are not heeded by the learned musicians of the age.”  Later he said African American spirituals’ “… beautiful and varied themes are the product of the soil; they are the folk songs of America.”

It was in this careful listening and inspiration that Dvorak crafted an old-world symphonic work with “new world” music. The symphony itself is in 4 movements. The first is slow-fast and includes a syncopated main theme and hints of folk tunes. The second movement, traditionally slow, makes the English horn the star with a beautiful theme reminiscent of a spiritual. The third movement, in a nod to Beethoven, is a quick scherzo-trio with a lilting countertheme that balances the jagged scherzo. And the finale, allegro con fuoco, brings the themes together from the entire work with a powerful and exciting ending.

— Dana Zimbric

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Society Sponsors

California Arts Council
Judy Call
National Endowment for the Arts
Prudhomme Associates, CPAs

Season Sponsors

Nicola Helm & Stephen Ryder
Mark Margolin

Concert Sponsors

Judy C. Leonard
Kathryn McCarty in memory of Richard A. Barr