SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL QUINTET: Celebrating America @ 250 is Coming to The Ellington Room

Composers Concordance will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States with Semiquincentennial Quintet: Celebrating America @ 250, a concert bringing together seven contemporary composers and an eclectic ensemble of musicians for an evening of new music reflecting on America, its history, its people, and its many voices. The free event will take place on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 7 p.m. in The Ellington Room at Manhattan Plaza.

The program features music by Dan Cooper, Charles Coleman, Noah Magnus, Eugene W. McBride, Ginka Mizuki, Audrey Morse, and Gene Pritsker, performed by a dynamic ensemble combining voice, clarinet, saxophone, violin, and guitar.

A centerpiece of the evening will be composer Gene Pritsker's four-movement song cycle, African American Poets Sing America, setting poetry by four influential African American poets whose work spans more than two centuries: Phillis Wheatley (1753–1784), Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911), Claude McKay (1889–1948), and Langston Hughes (1901–1967).

Through these poets, Pritsker's song cycle explores different perspectives on America, from its earliest years through the struggles, dreams, contradictions, and possibilities of the modern era.

Also featured is Audrey Morse's Ode to America at 250, setting the poetry of e. e. cummings, offering another distinctive perspective on the American experience.

The concert will feature Charles Coleman, baritone; Michiyo Suzuki, clarinet; Todd Rewoldt, alto saxophone; Audrey Morse, violin; and Gene Pritsker, guitar. Poet Imelda O'Reilly will also be featured as part of the program.

Rather than presenting a single musical vision of America, Semiquincentennial Quintet brings together contrasting voices, styles, generations, and perspectives. The result is a contemporary musical portrait of a country whose identity continues to evolve. The concert will also be live-streamed