This program is conceived as a musical journey that centers living Indigenous voices and reexamines the American orchestral tradition through a local and contemporary lens. Opening with a featured set for Native American flute by Travis Komahcheet, a Comanche musician from Oklahoma, the concert begins by grounding the audience in the sound of this land and acknowledging Indigenous musical traditions as living practices within our community. Connor Chee’s Bassoon Concerto, written by a Navajo composer and performed within the symphonic tradition, continues this arc by bringing Indigenous creative voices directly into the orchestral concert hall and featuring Dr. Jacqueline Wilson on bassoon. Dr. Wilson focuses on Native American and Indigenous self-representation and artistic sovereignty. Heard in this context, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World, is presented not as a starting point but as a response, inviting listeners to reconsider the influences that shaped the American sound. 

Please check the OCO Facebook page for more information regarding other events with Dr. Wilson near the concert date.

Note: Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the event start time.