Orchestra will present `Rhapsody in Blue at 100'

The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra will present “Rhapsody in Blue at 100,” a concert featuring George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” 3 and 7:30 p.m. March 2 in the auditorium on the campus of San Bernardino Valley College.

“George Gershwin’s iconic ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ celebrates its 100th birthday in 2024, and we are excited to premiere the new Gershwin Critical Edition to mark this occasion,” Anthony Parnther, the orchestra’s music director and conductor, said in a news release.

“Gershwin’s music, with its blend of classical, jazz, blues and popular song requires careful editing due to varying conventions of musical notation and over time, published editions have been found to contain errors and inconsistencies. At this concert, audiences will experience ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ in its most accurate representation of the creator’s vision and I cannot imagine a more appropriate pianist to premiere this piece than longtime symphony friend Dr. David Kaplan.” Parnther said.

Kaplan has appeared with the Britten Sinfonia at London’s Barbican and has performed at the Ravinia Festival, Sarasota Opera House, Music on Main in Vancouver, Washington’s National Gallery and New York’s Carnegie and Merkin halls.

With the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra, he soloed in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in 2021.

In addition to “Rhapsody in Blue,” the March 2 concert will pay tribute to artists such as Tina Turner,

Carole King, Aretha Franklin and Simon and Garfunkel and will feature music by William Grant Still, Valerie Coleman and Abraham Alexander.

The concert will also feature singers Maiya Sykes and Cedric Berry.

“These are two of the most evocative and powerful voices I have ever worked with, both being able to sing with great conviction and command in any genre,” Parnther said in the news release.

Sykes, a classically trained singer, producer and vocal arranger, is a graduate of Yale University and has studied with Nina Simone and Betty Carter.

“Audiences will recognize

Maiya from her time as a finalist on ‘The Voice,’ as well as in the world-famous Postmodern Jukebox,” Parnther said in the news release.

Bass-baritone Cedric Berry’s experience spans opera, Broadway, jazz, and gospel. He has performed with the LA Opera., Long Beach Opera, Savolinna Opera Festival of Finland and the Ravinia Music Festival, among others. He has also appeared with orchestras including the Pacific Symphony, Arizona Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

“I most recently worked with Cedric Berry on Anthony Davis’s Pulitzer Prizewinning

opera ‘The Central Park Five’ and on Tamar Kali Brown’s ‘We Hold These Truths’ at the Los Angeles Opera. He has garnered considerable national and international praise and it’s exciting to work together again,” Parnther said in the news release.

Tickets for the March 2 concerts are $20-$100, available at sanbernardinosymphony.org or by calling 909381-5388. Tickets for students and active military are $15.

San Bernardino Valley College is at 701 S. Mount Vernon Ave., San Bernardino, and parking is available directly across from the auditorium.

PHOTO BY RACHEL LUNA In this photo from June 24, 2016, the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra performs at the Redlands Bowl. The orchestra will present “Rhapsody in Blue at 100,” a concert featuring George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” in two performances March 2, in the auditorium on the campus of San Bernardino Valley College.