America @ 250: Rhapsody in Blue

It's known as "the great American opera." Since 1935, Porgy and Bess has rippled through American culture in the hands of artists such as Maya Angelou, Miles Davis, Janis Joplin, and Sublime. And it's no surprise — no one could write a tune like George Gershwin. Not quite jazz and not quite classical, the beguiling sounds of Porgy, plus the watershed Rhapsody in Blue, render the spirit of New York City into irresistible, toe-tapping fun.

After intermission, the orchestra drops into overdrive for Carl Nielsen's indomitable Fourth Symphony, nicknamed The Inextinguishable. The Orchestra welcomes the debuts of Estonian conductor Kristiina Poska and jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner.