University Symphony Orchestra concert to feature folk melodies

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra will perform a concert titled "Folk Flavors" at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

The concert will begin with "Dance of the Yao People," composed in 1952 by Liu Tieshan and Mao Yuan. The music features traditional festival music and dances used by the Yao people of south and southwest China. The program will conclude with Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor ("New World"). This popular work contains melodies reminiscent of Native American modalities and African American spirituals. It was composed in 1893 during Dvorak’s brief residence in America and remains one of the most popular symphonies in the orchestral repertoire.

For more information about the concert, visit wmich.edu/music or call (269) 387-4667.

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