Art Connection
“What Does It Mean To Be An American (Composer)?” In this historic election season, we’ve faced questions about globalization, diversity, technology and the media, and those issues have influenced how we see ourselves as Americans. What about contemporary American composers? They grapple with the same concerns, complicated the fact their fellow citizens are often indifferent to their efforts. Composers like Charles Ives, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein had a distinctly American voice and a more sympathetic audience. What’s happened to that voice? What’s happened to that audience? Does it mean anything to say you are an American composer beyond your location on Google Maps.
The event features Jim Chute (moderator), Martha Gilmer (CEO, San Diego Symphony Orchestra), Gerard McBurney (creative director of the Beyond the Score series), Andrew Norman (composer), and musicians of the San Diego Symphony.