One Week Away: America 250 Concert Preview
We're one week out from our "America 250: A Four-Hand Piano Celebration" concert, and we couldn't be more excited to share this program with you.
Thursday, January 23 at 7 PM Calvary Presbyterian Church, Wyncote, PA Free admission
To give you a taste of what's coming, here are two preview clips from the program.
Florence Price — Coreopsis
Florence Price was the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major American orchestra - that was 1933. By any measure, she should have become a household name. Instead, her music was largely forgotten for decades, only to be rediscovered in 2009 when a trove of her manuscripts was found in an abandoned house in Illinois.
"Coreopsis" is named for a genus of bright, sun-loving wildflowers, and the music matches - tender, unhurried, and quietly beautiful. We're performing an arrangement for piano four-hands by Po-Sim Head and Kowoon Lee.
This is exactly the kind of music we want to champion: composers who were overlooked, whose work deserves to be heard.
Aaron Copland — Hoe Down from Rodeo
You know this one — even if you don't think you do. Copland's "Hoe Down" has shown up in commercials, movies, and anywhere else that calls for wide-open American energy. It's iconic for a reason.
This is our own arrangement for piano four-hands, and yes — we added claves. Because why not?
Arranging orchestral works for one piano and four hands means rethinking the music from the ground up: what belongs in each hand, how to create orchestral color with just 88 keys between us, how to make it feel inevitable rather than reduced. This piece was a challenge and a joy to put together.
The Full Program
Here's everything we're playing on January 23:
George Gershwin — 3 Preludes (arr. Mada & Hugh) Madalina Danila, Primo / Hugh Sung, Secondo
Aaron Copland — Hoe Down from Rodeo (arr. Mada & Hugh) Hugh Sung, Primo / Madalina Danila, Secondo
Vincent Persichetti — Serenade No. 8, Op. 62
A bene placido
Con grazia
Con calore
Semplice
Madalina Danila, Primo / Hugh Sung, Secondo
Florence Price — Coreopsis (arr. Po-Sim Head & Kowoon Lee) Madalina Danila, Primo / Hugh Sung, Secondo
Jennifer Higdon — Jumble Dancing Madalina Danila, Primo / Hugh Sung, Secondo
John Carollo — Stranded in Illusions from Phantasmamusica Book VI Madalina Danila, Primo / Hugh Sung, Secondo
Samuel Barber — Selections from Souvenirs, Op. 28
Waltz
Pas de deux
Two Step
Hesitation-Tango
Madalina Danila, Primo / Hugh Sung, Secondo
Vee Lawnhurst & Muriel Pollack — Table d'Hôte: Musical Delicacies for Piano 4 Hands
Hors d'oeuvres
Soup
Entrée
Salad
Parfait
Demi-Tasse
Madalina Danila, Primo / Hugh Sung, Secondo
Leonard Bernstein — "America" from West Side Story (arr. Mada & Hugh) Madalina Danila, Primo / Hugh Sung, Secondo
Join Us
The program spans over a century of American music — from Gershwin's jazz-age New York to living composers like Jennifer Higdon. We've included the famous names and the forgotten ones, orchestral blockbusters we arranged ourselves and hidden gems that deserve a wider audience.
We'd love to see you there.
Thursday, January 23, 2025 at 7 PM Calvary Presbyterian Church 217 Fernbrook Ave, Wyncote, PA 19095
Admission is free.
