Soul of a Nation: An American Portrait

Victoria Bond — Soul of a Nation, Violin Concerto — Milwaukee Premiere
Written for Frank Almond and inspired by the writings of Thomas Jefferson

Aaron Copland — Appalachian Spring

Two works, separated by generations, explore the ideals, contradictions, and evolving identity of America.

At the heart of the program is the premiere of Victoria Bond's Soul of a Nation, a violin concerto written for violinist Frank Almond and inspired by the writings of Thomas Jefferson. Drawing upon the words and ideas of one of the nation's most consequential—and complex—founding figures, Bond uses the violin as a distinctive individual voice within a larger musical landscape. The concerto invites us to consider the ideals upon which America was founded, while also confronting the distance that can exist between those ideals and the realities of the nation they helped create.

Alongside Bond's new work stands Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, one of the defining musical portraits of America. Its spacious sonorities, folk-inspired simplicity, and unmistakable sense of possibility evoke an American ideal built upon community, optimism, and renewal. Copland's music captures not so much a particular place as an enduring vision of what America might become.

Together, Soul of a Nation and Appalachian Spring create a compelling dialogue across generations. Jefferson's words, refracted through Bond's contemporary voice, encounter Copland's iconic vision of the American landscape. The result is a program that celebrates the beauty of the American ideal while asking difficult and enduring questions about its meaning.

Frank Almond, Violin/conductor

Musicians of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

Ryan Tani, Conductor

Brian Mani, Narrator