Boston Civic Symphony to Celebrate America's 250th at Jordan Hall

The Boston Civic Symphony, under the direction of Music Director Francisco Noya, will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States with a powerful and timely concert on Saturday, March 28 at 8:00 PM at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall. The program brings together two towering works of the orchestral repertoire: Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait, featuring acclaimed spoken-word artist Amanda Shea as narrator, and Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5. 

Designed as both a reflection and a renewal, the program speaks to the enduring ideals of democracy, resilience, and collective human striving. “This concert honors the human pursuit and our shared journey,” said Noya. “It is never truly finished, yet it is forever capable of a new birth.”

The evening opens with Copland's Lincoln Portrait, one of the most iconic expressions of the American musical experience ever composed. Drawing on Abraham Lincoln's writings and speeches, the work offers a stirring meditation on unity, equality, and moral courage. “This is a piece that evokes the voice that preserved our Union,” Noya added. “Its climax offers a promise that resonates as deeply today as it did at Gettysburg: that this nation shall have ‘a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.'”

The narrator for Lincoln Portrait will be Amanda Shea, a three-time Boston Music Award winner for Best Spoken-Word Artist and a leading voice at the intersection of poetry, education, and social dialogue. Described by The Boston Globe as a “connector of creativity and community,” Shea has been featured by the Museum of Fine Arts, TEDx, Netflix, Prime Video, BBC News, and GBH, and curates and hosts GBH's Outspoken Saturdays. Shea is set to release her first poetry collection, Pieces of Shea, later this year.

Copland's distinctly American vision is paired with Mahler's Symphony No. 5, a work Noya describes as "a profound companion piece." Composed at the turn of the 20th century and revised while Mahler was living in New York.  The symphony reflects the composer's exposure to the energy and promise of the New World.

“Mahler's Symphony No. 5 enacts its own spiritual revolution in motion,” said Noya. “It moves from the dark gravity of a Funeral March through the defiant sweep of the Scherzo and the intimate solace of the Adagietto, finally erupting into a Rondo-Finale that transforms struggle into a soaring, collective shout of joy.”

Now in its 101st season, the Boston Civic Symphony stands as one of the city's most respected musical institutions. Founded in 1924 by educator and composer Joseph Wagner, the orchestra has long championed a unique model that brings together exceptionally skilled student musicians and dedicated amateur performers. Alumni who performed with the orchestra early in their careers include Leonard Bernstein and Yo-Yo Ma.

Francisco Noya is a prominent figure in the Boston and New England music scene, known for his versatility in symphonic and operatic repertoire. He began his professional career in his native Venezuela as conductor of the Youth Orchestra of Valencia, one of the original ensembles of El Sistema.  Noya has conducted noted orchestras around the world, including the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops, and has been a member of the conducting faculty at Berklee College of Music since 2001.

Under Noya's leadership, the Civic continues its century-old legacy of presenting ambitious repertoire at the highest artistic level while remaining deeply rooted in community and education.