Worcester Chorus & Friends: Ellington & Gershwin

Everett McCorvey’s tenure as our Artist-in-Residence continues with a concert showcasing the work of Duke Ellington and George Gershwin, two monumental American composers of the 20th century. Everett conducts The Worcester Chorus, the WPI Festival Chorus, and a guest orchestra.

This program features Gershwin’s incomparable Porgy and Bess – arranged for solo piano, orchestra, and chorus, as well as a choral arrangement of his Rhapsody in Blue, alongside an orchestral performance of Ellington’s last work, Three Black Kings, written to commemorate King Balthazar, King Solomon, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Gershwin and Ellington were outstanding pianists who inspired each other throughout their compositional careers, each drawing inspiration from Impressionistic composers like Debussy. Both composers and their works feature fantastical melodies, improvisatory styles, and blues-inspired harmonies; both composers were masters of their art and expression. The monumental works – Three Black Kings, intended as a “eulogy for Martin Luther King, Jr.”; Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin’s “musical kaleidoscope of America”; and Porgy and Bess, the first opera of its kind – mark pivotal moments in musical history.

Ellington composed Three Black Kings in 1974; it was nearly complete at his death, and was finished by his son Mercer and orchestrated by longtime collaborator Luther Henderson.

Tickets:

Reserved seating
Adult: $76-$40
Student: $20