Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik makes a guest appearance in the Philharmonics series to conduct this special concert, a celebration of the rich history of black Rochesterians. Internationally acclaimed Rochesterians Kearstin Piper Brown and Thomas Warfield join the RPO for this program, featuring works with direct ties to our vibrant city by Adolphus Hailstork, Nkeiru Okoye, Duke Ellington, and an RPO Co-comission by James Lee III. . A highlight of the night will be William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony, which was premiered in Rochester by the RPO in 1931.

Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Kearstin Piper Brown, soprano
Thomas Warfield, narrator

HAILSTORK An American Fanfare
OKOYE Songs of Harriet Tubman
STILL Symphony No. 1 in Ab Major, “Afro-American”
LEE III. Freedom’s Genuine Dawn (RPO Co-Commission)
ELLINGTON The River Suite

Pre-concert talk will take place from 6:30-7:00pm in Kodak Hall.