Julia Perry Born March 25, 1924 in Lexington, KY Died April 24, 1979 in Akron, OH A Short Piece for Small Orchestra Composed 1952 Premiered in 1952 in Turin, Italy Conducted by Dean Dixon Performance Time: Approximately 6 minutes In a 1986 article, the celebrated African-American composer Olly Wilson observed that many Black composers create “works which, on the face of it, are indistinguishable in general musical style from works…

The American Symphony Orchestra is honored and pleased once again to be part of the open-air concert programs in Bryant Park, right next to the glorious New York Public Library. Today’s concert addresses a habit to which we have become accustomed: assigning unique national characteristics to facets of our culture. It seems entirely understandable that people want to know what makes some music “American.” The assertion of unique national characteristics…