Formed in 1881 and supported by Henry Lee Higginson, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is a prominent U.S. ensemble based at Symphony Hall. Led by renowned conductors including Serge Koussevitsky and Andris Nelsons, the group boasts an extensive recording catalog and founded the Tanglewood Music Festival.
Stewart Copeland rose to fame as the Grammy-winning drummer for the Police before establishing a prolific career as a film composer, author, and collaborator in projects like Oysterhead and Animal Logic. He has scored numerous films, operas, and video games, including Spyro the Dragon.
Ludwig van Beethoven, a German composer and pianist from Bonn, bridged the Classical and Romantic eras with his innovative, emotionally intense music. Renowned for works like the "Moonlight Sonata," Fifth Symphony, and Ninth Symphony, he revolutionized instrumental music, elevating it to high art. He continued composing despite profound deafness.
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, is a four-movement symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven between 1811 and 1812. Premiered in Vienna in 1813 with the composer himself conducting, it is widely celebrated for its intense rhythmic energy and vitality, famously described by Richard Wagner as the "apotheosis of the dance."
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and conductor who was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Music." Known for creating a distinctly American sound by incorporating jazz and folk elements, his most famous works include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, and Rodeo, as well as Fanfare for the Common Man.
A landmark 1944 American ballet composed by Aaron Copland and choreographed by Martha Graham, celebrating the pioneer spirit of a newlywed couple in 19th-century Pennsylvania and famous for incorporating the Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts."
A German-Colombian conductor and concert pianist known for her international performances, serving as the assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Kapellmeister at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Appalachian Spring is a landmark American ballet created by choreographer Martha Graham and composer Aaron Copland, which premiered in 1944 and earned Copland the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Originally scored for a 13-piece chamber orchestra and later arranged into a celebrated orchestral suite, the work captures the American pioneer spirit and famously features variations on the Shaker hymn Simple Gifts.
