The New West Symphony is set to present “America the Melting Pot” on June 27, 2021.

The showcase will feature performances by tenor Ashley Faatoalia, violinist Eunice Kim, pianist Lara Downes, and double bassist / composer Xavier Foley. The showcase will present music by Valerie Coleman, Hazel Scott, Florence Price, William Grant Still, Margaret Bonds, Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake, and Foley.

“It has been a remarkable year celebrating the musical heritage of cultures around the world, looking out, as we’ve had to experience this time sheltering in place. We’ve learned about regional differences, how poetry, dance, the sacred and the profane have influenced western classical music and vice versa,” said conductor Michael Christie of the programming. “Now we continue our journey with aspects of our own American heritage. We do so at a time of necessary but intense social and political reckoning. The compositional and performing ‘voices’ we celebrate are geniuses whose legacies are coming into a fuller bloom, such as Florence Price, Duke Ellington, Eubie Blake or William Grant Still – and voices of today such as Xavier Foley, Valerie Coleman and Lara Downes. I am proud and grateful that New West Symphony has dedicated this year of challenge and change to diverse voices. The cultures we’ve featured often originate in faraway lands but have a profound connection to our Southern California community.”

There will also be several cross-cultural events including a Pre-Concert Talk from UCLA Senior Lecturer, David Ravetch on June 24 as well as a Meet the Artists program on June 26.