Rhapsody in Blue

A celebration of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, on the centenary of its world premiere, and of the pioneering Black American composer, Florence Price.

A Memo from the Maestro: Come join us as we celebrate the centenary of the first performance of a true American classic, a piano concerto that changed the world: George Gershwin’s amazing RHAPSODY IN BLUE! Michelle Cann will bring her brilliance and charm on a welcome return visit to La Crosse, in which she’ll also perform the La Crosse premiere of the Piano Concerto of the unjustly-neglected composer Florence Price, a central figure in the Black Chicago Renaissance of the 1930s and 40s. Composed within a decade of each other, these two one-movement masterpieces make a perfect American pair. And to end the evening — and back by popular demand — our Maestro presents yet another beautiful Aaron Copland Symphony No. 3. culminating in Copland’s magnificent full-orchestra rendering of his immortal “Fanfare for the Common Man” — an evening not to be missed!

Bob Lowden: Armed Forces Salute
Florence Price: Piano Concerto in One Movement (1934)
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue (1924) with Michelle Cann, piano
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Aaron Copland: Symphony No. 3 showcasing “Fanfare for the Common Man” theme