The KSO opens its 2026–27 MoxCar Marketing + Communications Masterworks Series with a celebration of American music and identity. Featuring cellist Sterling Elliott, this all-American program explores the voices, influences, and traditions that helped shape the nation’s musical landscape. Antonín Dvořák’s beloved Cello Concerto reflects the composer’s fascination with America during his time in the United States, while William Grant Still’s groundbreaking Afro-American Symphony and George Gershwin’s An American in Paris capture distinctly American sounds rooted in jazz, blues, and urban energy. Written by Korean-American composer Nikki Shin, Is This the Happiest Place on Earth? explores questions of identity, belonging, and the ideals of happiness often reflected in American culture.

Featuring

Aram Demirjian, conductor
Sterling Elliott, cello

Program

NICKY SOHN: Is This the Happiest Place on Earth?
DVORAK: Cello Concerto No. 1
STILL: Symphony No. 1 (Afro-American)
GERSWIN: An American in Paris