Red, White, and Rhapsody in Blue

The YOSA Philharmonic presents “American Rhapsodies,” a symphonic event celebrating America’s diverse and culturally significant heritage. Experience Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, in collaboration with Grammy-winning pianist Michelle Cann, to honor the centennial of its premiere in 1924. This exciting night will also feature the Texas premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s orchestral suite from her Civil War opera, “Cold Mountain.” Join the YOSA Philharmonic to pay tribute to the remarkable creativity that defines the United States through a captivating showcase that unites us all.

“American Rhapsodies” is an official 2024 Dreamweek event at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts on January 28, 2024 at 7pm.

Student tickets are available for $5.00.

This concert has already taken place, and tickets are no longer available.

Lauded as “technically fearless with…an enormous, rich sound” (La Scena Musicale), pianist Michelle Cann made her orchestral debut at age fourteen and has since performed as a soloist with prominent orchestras such as the Atlanta and Cincinnati symphony orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Ms. Cann’s 2022-23 season includes an appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, return engagements with the Cincinnati and New Jersey symphonies, and debut performances with the Baltimore, National, New World, Seattle, and Utah symphonies. She makes her debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Youth Symphony and performs recitals in New Orleans, Little Rock, Sarasota, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.
A champion of the music of Florence Price, Ms. Cann performed the New York City premiere of the composer’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in July 2016 and the Philadelphia premiere with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin in February 2021, which the Philadelphia Inquirer called “exquisite.” She has also performed Price’s works for solo piano and chamber ensemble for prestigious presenters such as Caramoor, Chamber Music Detroit, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, San Francisco Performances, and Washington Performing Arts.
Ms. Cann is the recipient of the 2022 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, and the 2022 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award. Embracing a dual role as performer and pedagogue, Ms. Cann frequently teaches master classes and leads residencies. She has
Ms. Cann served on the juries of the Cleveland International Piano Competition and at the Music Academy of the West. She has also appeared as cohost and collaborative pianist with NPR’s From The Top.
Ms. Cann studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music, where she serves on the piano faculty as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies.

Hailed by the San Antonio Current as “consistently brilliant and impossibly cool,” conductor Troy Peters has been Music Director of Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA) since 2009. He also serves as Director of the UTSA Orchestra at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Formerly Resident Conductor of the San Antonio Symphony and Music Director of the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra, Peters has guest conducted many orchestras, including the Oregon Symphony, San Antonio Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Musical America featured him in their 2016 special issue, The MA30 Professionals of the Year: The Innovators. He was previously Music Director of the Vermont Youth Orchestra and conducted college orchestras at Texas State University and Middlebury College. He has also gained international attention for his orchestral collaborations with rock musicians, including Blind Pilot, Jon Anderson (of the band Yes), and Trey Anastasio (of the band Phish), with whom he recorded two albums on Elektra Records.