Music of the Americas at the Kennedy Center

*Tickets will be available on the Kennedy Center website in the fall.

Embark on a musical journey across the Americas, featuring classic favorites and premieres of vibrant new works.

Barber - Adagio for Strings

Hailstork - Sonata da Chiesa

Copland - Clarinet Concerto

Nick Thompson, soloist

Lisandro Adrover - Imágenes (North American premiere)

Ariel Pirotti - Inesita (world premiere)

Copland - Three Latin American Sketches

Explore the vast and varied musical landscape of the Americas in this special program that spans from the reflective to the celebratory. The concert opens with Samuel Barber’s deeply moving Adagio for Strings, a piece that has touched the hearts of audiences around the world with its poignant and powerful expression. Next, experience Adolphus Hailstork’s Sonata da Chiesa, a work that masterfully blends classical and spiritual traditions, creating a profound and meditative atmosphere.

We’re thrilled to feature clarinetist Nick Thompson in Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto. Originally commissioned by jazz legend Benny Goodman, this piece is a brilliant fusion of classical form and jazz idioms, showcasing Copland’s signature American sound.

The program also includes two exciting premieres. Lisandro Adrover’s Imágenes receives its North American premiere, bringing the evocative sounds of Argentina to our stage, while Ariel Pirotti’s Inesita makes its world premiere, offering a fresh and captivating new work for our audience to enjoy.

Finally, we’ll close with Copland’s lively Three Latin American Sketches, a colorful tribute to the rhythms and melodies of Latin America, full of the energy and spirit that define this vibrant region.