American Celebration
October 10 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
A musical toast to America250 salutes the emergence of the nation’s 20th-century artistic voice on the international stage. Get swept up in the exuberant spark of Bernstein’s Candide Overture. Embrace the breathless intoxication of Barber’s unabashedly romantic Violin Concerto in the hands of captivating young soloist Basil Alter. Schuman’s big and bold Symphony No. 3, praised for its vitality and intensity, is the climax of a truly stellar evening.
Sponsors
Series Sponsor: Selby & Richard McRae Foundation
Music Lit. Sponsor: The Walker Foundation
TIM Talks Sponsor: Four Seasons of the Arts
Talent Bio
Basil Alter, violin
In the 2026-2027 season, Tennessee-born violinist Basil Alter enjoys a busy schedule between the US and Europe. Based in London, he is an artist for the Tillett Trust, the City Music Foundation, and the Hattori Foundation, and has been featured in the Strad Magazine and the Violin Channel. Upcoming performances include appearances at St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Memphis Chamber Music Society with Victor Asuncion and Alexander Hersh, and concerto appearances of Mendelssohn, Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, and Piazzola. He is supported in part by the Craxton Memorial Trust.
Music Program
First Half
- Leonard Bernstein — Candide Overture (1956)
- Samuel Barber — Violin Concerto (1939) (Basil Alter, violin)
Second Half
- William Schuman — Symphony No. 3 (1941)