The concerts culminate with Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s explosive 1812 Overture. The program opens with Aaron Copland’s beloved Appalachian Spring, adapted from his iconic ballet created in collaboration with choreographer Martha Graham. Evoking the optimism and resilience of early America, the work portrays a young frontier couple beginning their life together and remains one of the most cherished pieces in the American classical canon.

Next is John Adams’ vibrant and rhythmically charged The Chairman Dances, described by the composer as a “foxtrot for orchestra.” Written in 1985, the work blends minimalist repetition with jazzy inflections, driving rhythms, and brilliant orchestration to create an energetic and cinematic musical experience.

The program also features Roy Harris’s monumental Symphony No. 3, widely regarded as a landmark of American symphonic music. Like Copland, Harris studied with the renowned teacher Nadia Boulanger and sought to develop a distinctly American musical voice. Inspired by his upbringing on an Oklahoma farm, Harris infused the work with the expansive spirit of the American West.

The season concludes with Tchaikovsky’s exhilarating 1812 Overture. Famous for its triumphant themes and dramatic intensity, the work is often associated with outdoor performances featuring cannons and fireworks. 

These concerts are made possible by the generous support of sponsors The Dovana Foundation, Calum & Tricia DeSouza, Bob & Donna Ritchie, Bruce & Kimberlie Jodar, Diane L. Brawner, and ERA Landmark-Robyn & Orville Erlenbush.

The event will also feature the live creation of an original work of art by Bozeman multidisciplinary artist Jack Schnepf. Throughout the concert weekend, Schnepf will create a large-scale abstract painting onstage as the orchestra performs, transforming the performances into a dynamic collaboration between music and visual art. The work will become part of his ongoing Entanglement Series, a collaborative body of work exploring the invisible connections among people, systems, ideas, and the natural world.

Audience members will watch Schnepf paint across three 3-by-4-foot panels during performances of John Adams’ rhythmically charged The Chairman Dances and Roy Harris’ monumental Symphony No. 3. During intermission, the artwork will move to the lobby, where patrons will be invited to write something they find beautiful about America.

The painting will then return to the stage as Schnepf continues refining it during Aaron Copland’s beloved Appalachian Spring, a work that captures the optimism and resilience of early America. After the concert’s triumphant finale, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s exhilarating 1812 Overture, the work will be displayed in the lobby for audiences to view.