In Sunday’s (3/20) Kalamazoo Gazette (Michigan), Linda S. Mah writes, “In 2003, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra was one of the first ensembles to perform composer Peter Boyer’s ‘Ellis Island: The Dream of America.’ Since then, the work has received more than 107 performances. In September, Symphony, the publication of the League of American Orchestras, wrote that it is one of ‘a handful of recent works by living composers becoming orchestral standards.’ … The KSO will revisit the work Friday at Miller Auditorium. The symphony will be joined by actors from the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre under the direction of D. Terry Williams and dancers working with choreographer Patricia Plasko. The concert opens with Barber’s Symphony No. 1 and Dance Episodes from ‘Rodeo’ by Aaron Copland. Boyer and KSO Maestro Raymond Harvey will hold an open discussion following the performance. … In 2003, Williams used actors from Western Michigan University’s theater department. This time, he is working with older performers who auditioned through the Kalamazoo Civic. … Boyer’s music is moving and romantic and taps the emotional core of the immigrant’s journey, Williams said. Harvey called it a timeless story, well told through Boyer’s music.” Click here to read Ian VanderMeulen’s article “Maximum Exposure,” which discusses the Boyer work and others, in the September 2010 issue of Symphony.
Posted March 24, 2011
