Scott Joplin Overture to Treemonisha Born November 24, 1868 in Texarkana, TX Died April 1, 1917 in New York, New York Composed 1911 Premiered on January 28, 1972 in Atlanta, Georgia Conducted by Robert Shaw Performance Time: Approximately 8 minutes While all the composers on this program worked in a variety of genres and styles, Scott Joplin’s (1868- 1917) success almost entirely came from his compositions for piano, in particular…

This concert program tries to put a dent—so to speak—in a prejudice (if prejudices had metal surfaces like cars) too many of us still share: that there is a fundamental tension between popular music and classical “art” music, particularly in America. There is none; great music thrives in all genres from Taylor Swift to John Cage. Indeed, the historical record—the facts—tell a different story. In North America, part of our…