Saturday, March 4, 2023 - 8:00pm Temple Theatre Saginaw, MI Romanticism in music took many shapes, including a big, rich orchestral sound, lush harmonies, and extremes of musical expression. All can be found in tonight’s selections. Tchaikovsky’s music opens the program with the Polonaise from the opera Eugene Onegin. Typical of Tchaikovsky’s dances, the Polonaise is a tuneful, catchy dance, played by a large Romantic orchestra. A style of music called Strurm and Drang [Storm and Stress] developed in the 18th-century became a precursor to 19th century Romanticism.

Saturday, February 4, 2023 - 7:30pm Temple Theatre Saginaw, MI Over the last century, some Black composers have found their place in European-based classical music, while others have been at the forefront of creating distinctively Black styles of American music such as blues, jazz, and Motown. Tonight’s program honors composers from all these traditions. Julia Perry’s Short Piece for Orchestra (1943) is full of exciting musical contrasts. Orchestral arrangements of popular standards follow, one group by Duke Ellington, another by Louis Armstrong, and a final set of Motown songs.