By Danielle Schroeder
CVNC.org
February 12, 2022 – Asheville, NC:
“This program was, in a word, exceptional. The pieces on the program were balanced and complementary to one another. When an American symphony orchestra plays American compositions, something incredible happens. It’s so much more nuanced, and there’s an unspoken understanding that this is our music. During a month celebrating and remembering Black culture and history, this performance was a beautiful display of a uniquely American idiom that I hope is given more recognition in the years to come.”
The Asheville Symphony Orchestra (led by music director and conductor Darko Butorac) returned to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium for the first time in 2022 for an exceptional program of music celebrating Black composers and the American sound. Featuring Will Marion Cook, George Gershwin, Antonín Dvořák, and William Grant Still, the programmed music provided a snapshot into 1920s New York and the bustling golden age American dream. Burial Beer Company and Hatchworks Coworking sponsored the concert and the guest artist respectively, along with the numerous music sponsors.
