AMERICA’S 250 & OUR VETERANS
There’s a new face of classical music in Central Texas, and it’s now right here in our community. It’s a refreshing take on classical music––a “not-your-mother’s-chamber music series” kind of thing.
Miles Gillette-Bockhorn, the executive director of our very own Colorado Valley Chamber Players (CVCP), is forging a genre-bending path with the organization’s next concert on Nov. 8 at St. Paul’s in La Grange. Sure, this program doesn’t venture as far away from the status quo as the Kronos Quartet’s arrangement of Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” or the Turtle Island Quartet’s rendition of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” do, but it certainly gives audiences a taste of the Jazz Age we all know and love with George Gershwin’s Songbook. No, this is not the Gershwin of “Rhapsody in Blue” and “An American in Paris”––which the critics were more inclined to call his “concert catalog”–– but these familiar tunes meant so very much to the American service members returning home from World War II.
This blending of genres works even better if there is a theme attached to it all. And CVCP has one. The upcoming fourth concert of their inaugural season will appropriately be held just before Veterans Day. As such, it will both salute our men and women veterans and wind down our local celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
A Veterans Day Tribute to America’s 250th
We all know music brings people together, especially when it tells the story of who we are. This Veteran’s Day, local music lovers and fans of the new CVCP are in for a special treat as a live chamber concert featuring flute and piano takes the stage. It isn’t just another classical performance—it’s an open invitation to gather, honor our military veterans, and wrap up the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary––and to do so through some of the nation’s most iconic melodies.
The program is designed with every listener in mind. Bright, inviting, and steeped in American history, the afternoon promises a welcoming atmosphere where stories, service and sound meet.
A Musical Journey Through U.S. History
The performance bridges three centuries of musical storytelling, kicking off in the heat of the Civil War with Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s The Union: Concert Paraphrase on the National Airs. Written in 1862 and performed for President Abraham Lincoln himself, this highly virtuosic solo piano piece tells the story of America’s journey through this immense struggle. Gottschalk weaves familiar national tunes—including “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Yankee Doodle,” and “Hail Columbia”—into a thrilling showpiece of optimism and resilience, both desperately needed at that time in our history.
From there, the mood shifts into pure joy, where we will revisit some of the most beloved songs of the 20th century with George Gershwin’s iconic 1932 Songbook. That’s right: “I Got Rhythm,” “The Man I Love,” “Swanee’” and “’S Wonderful” are all on the menu. Blending the sophistication of classical music with the unmistakable swagger of Tin Pan Alley, Gershwin’s tunes were truly the soundtrack of American life at the time.
Then we transition to a deeper, more reflexive mood with Aaron Copland’s 1971 “Duo for Flute and Piano.” This is a pastoral masterpiece which captures the vast grandeur of the American landscape—moving gracefully from flowing, mournful melodies to a lively finale. The concert concludes with a showstopper: Antonín Dvořák’s lush “Suite in A Major ‘American.’” This piece was written in 1894 while the Czech composer was living in Manhattan, a stone’s throw from Stuyvesant Park. Dvořák was famously captivated by American folk traditions, and his five-movement suite reflects the warmth, diverse rhythm, and vast spirit of his adopted home.
An Invitation to Our Veterans
Above all, this Veteran’s Day concert is dedicated to the men and women who have served in uniform. Music has long been a sanctuary for reflection and community, and this performance offers a moment to pause, reflect, and share our collective gratitude.
As America continues to celebrate its semi-quincentennial, there’s no better time to gather as a community and honor the heritage that binds us together.
The Colorado Valley Chamber Players will present America’s 250th on Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of La Grange. Tickets can be purchased at cvchamberplayers. org/events; $20 for adults, $10 for students, $10 for veterans (half-off).