Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Aoife O’Donovan, vocalist

Program:

Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Aoife O’Donovan: America, Come
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring

Christina Courtin: World premiere piece titled Story of Stone, featuring Aoife O'Donovan and commissioned by CNU's Ferguson Center for the Arts 

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the premiere of Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring ballet, where audiences first heard the iconic strains of Copland’s music that would come to define an American musical language. His suite of music from the ballet expanded for a full orchestra further cementing the piece into the fabric of popular culture. Grammy Award-winning songwriter Aoife O’Donovan joins the VSO and her husband, Music Director Eric Jacobsen, to perform her musical exploration of voting rights for women. America, Come is inspired by the lives, letters, and speeches of the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association Carrie Chapman Catt, and United States President Woodrow Wilson during the summer of 1920. 

Eric Jacobsen serves as the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s twelfth Music Director, a position he’s held since 2021. He is also the artistic director and co-founder of The Knights, the uniquely adventurous NYC-based chamber orchestra, and Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic. In addition to conducting, Eric is a dedicated chamber musician (cello) and is a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble.

Aoife O’Donovan (pronounced EE-fa) is a Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose music radiates with a timeless charm and contemporary allure beyond genre. She gained widespread recognition as a founding member of the progressive folk band Crooked Still and the folk trio I’m With Her. She is the featured vocalist on The Goat Rodeo Sessions (whose members include Yo-Yo Ma). Deemed “a vocalist of unerring instinct” by The New York Times, O’Donovan has released four critically acclaimed solo albums including the 3x Grammy-nominated album, Age Of Apathy. Her latest release, 2024’s All My Friends, explores America’s evolution a century after women gained the right to vote. 

Christina Courtin's new piece, featuring Aoife O’Donovan and commissioned by CNU's Ferguson Center for the Arts, will explore the multifaceted theme of "starting over." Inspired by the image of rainbow raindrops, the composition symbolizes a new beginning and the reality of pursuing the American Dream and freedom, a concept she will show is unique to each individual. The piece will also question the notion of truth, comparing the imagery of fairytales and clover fields to the often complex realities we encounter. To underscore this idea, a cappella choir movement will serve to contrast the fuller orchestration, highlighting the personal journey within the larger narrative.

Valet Parking is available.