Still I Rise

Overview

Chicago’s own Deeply Rooted Dance Theater joins us in an unstoppable collaboration, bringing Florence Price’s vibrant Dances in the Canebrakes to life through original choreography—honoring the first Black woman to have her music performed by a major American orchestra.

We also premiere a radiant new work by Shirley J. Thompson, the visionary British composer who made history as the first woman and first person of color to compose for a British royal coronation.

 This female-driven program also features music by Viennese composer Marianna Martines, a pianist and contemporary of Mozart, and includes Amy Beach’s melodious Gaelic Symphony, the first symphony composed and published by an American woman.

More than a concert—it’s a movement. Join us as we honor the fierce voices that refuse to be silenced.