In the early 20th Century we started using term ‘melting pot’ more widely, even though it was used to describe America in the 1780s. That is mostly due to a play titled The Melting Pot. In it, the protagonist writes a symphony ‘expressing hope for a world in which all ethnicity has melted away.’ Years later, the movie Mr. Holland’s Opus tells the story of a dedicated but frustrated teacher who composes The American Symphony. Fast forward to 2011 and Adam Schoenberg writes American Symphony, inspired by the 2008 US election.
We’ll speak to some talented conductors in America’s melting pot from Finland and Poland, plus the young composer Adam Schoenberg in this episode of What’s New.
Recently named one of the Top 10 most performed living classical composers by orchestras in the United States, Adam Schoenberg's music is “invigorating” (Los Angeles Times), and full of “mystery and sensuality” (The New York Times). His works have received performances and premieres at the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Hollywood Bowl.
We feature new releases from BIS (Sibelius' Finlandia), Alpha Classics (Dvorak's New World Symphony), Gia Wind Works (Adam Schoenberg's American Symphony), and Reference Recordings (Adam Schoenberg's Picture Studies).
What’s New is a production of WBAA Classical, a listener supported broadcast service of Purdue University.