Concert 1 - WCMS '26-'27 Season - American Composers

Pianist Virginia Zheng plays music by Margaret Bonds and Kevin Puts. Violinist Bowen Chen joins pianist Quin Facey for Brahms and Wagner. Welcome to the Walpole Classical Music Series! Our second season highlights American classical music and its place in the history of western art music. Often overlooked, American composers have just as rich a tradition here in the U.S. as their European counterparts. From William Billings of the classical era to 21st century composers John Adams and Caroline Shaw, we have an extensive lineage to draw from and appreciate. This season we will explore the same diversity in our classical tradition as that which makes this country great at its core, highlighting African American composers such as Margaret Bonds, other female composers like my colleague Freya Downey, the well-known Aaron Copland and the avant garde Elliot Carter. We hope you can join us for our second season, sure to be an enlightening and enjoyable experience for both our audience and performers.