In Sunday’s (10/5) New York Times, Phillip Lutz writes, “William Boughton, the music director and principal conductor of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, seems every inch an Englishman…. Beyond the austere edge, though, lies a soft spot for American culture … reflected in his recent programming, a steady stream of works by some of the most vital Americans on the scene, among them Christopher Theofanidis, Daniel Bernard Roumain and Augusta Read Thomas.… This season, Mr. Boughton, 65 … [has] signed on to play a new work by the jazz instrumentalist and composer Chris Brubeck. The work, to be paid for with a $12,000 grant to Mr. Brubeck from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard, will have its premiere as part of a three-concert series at New Haven’s Shubert Theater,” with multimedia images. “Boughton said the visuals should spur audience involvement. On Oct. 16, concertgoers will be asked to contribute family war photos, which will be projected to accompany a performance of Aaron Copland’s poignant World War II-vintage ‘Letter From Home.’ ” Other American composers to be showcased in 2014-15 include George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington, John Corigliano, and 13-year-old pianist/composer Emily Bear.
Posted October 7, 2014
