We frame this program, and our season, as the joining of musical ideas - as in two rivers combining to make a larger whole. In Ennanga, we hear the influence of the Ugandan harp set into Still’s percussive textures. Kim Portnoy combines elements of jazz, the American musical, and classical idioms. Missouri native Shelley Washington captures her mid-western upbringing in a piece dedicated to her family in Middleground. In his last published work, globetrotting Martinů wields a lifetime of knowledge, using a palette of sounds evoking minimalism and a touch of jazz.

This is our third annual program in collaboration with the Missouri History Museum. This concert is presented as part of the Mighty Mississippi exhibit.

William Grant Still, Ennanga
Kim Portnoy*, From an Imaginary Musical  
Shelley Washington*, Middleground
Bohuslav Martinů, Chamber Music No 1