Cambridge Symphony Orchestra Presents HEROES AND ANGELS

The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will present Heroes and Angels, a program of three inspiring and uplifting orchestral works.

The performance will feature the first live concert performance of Grammy-winning composer Nan Schwartz's trumpet tone poem Angels Among Us, with trumpeter Joseph Foley as soloist. The concert will also include Jean Sibelius' intricate and stirring Symphony No. 5, and Joseph Schwantner's New Morning for the World ("Daybreak of Freedom"). The piece will be narrated by Rev. Dr. Ray Hammond of the Bethel AME Church in Jamaica Plain, to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The performance will take place on March 17, 2019 at Kresge Auditorium (48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139). Tickets are $15-$25 and may be purchased at cambridgesymphony.org.

Lead sponsor for the concert is Cambridge Trust. The CSO 2018-19 season is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Inspired by the beauty in the everyday, Heroes and Angels calls attention to the innate human ability to break through feelings of powerlessness with the voice that we each possess.

CSO Music Director Cynthia Woods selected these three works to complement each other in various ways. Nan Schwartz's trumpet tone poem Angels Among Us reminds us that we are creative beings surrounded by natural beauty. Schwantner's New Morning for the World ("Daybreak of Freedom") calls attention to a need for societal change and the powerful words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that inspired a nation. Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 5, inspired by the winged beauty of a flock of swans, reminds us to face challenges head on and to not overlook the splendor in our daily lives.

Angels Among Us, released in 2018 on the album "Nan Schwartz," covers four octaves on the trumpet, making it a challenging and satisfying work for orchestra and soloist. Of the album, BBC Music Magazine proclaimed her compositions to be "evocative and tuneful - top drawer reading," while Limelight commended her work by saying, "Schwartz's sound has a lithe, film-score clarity."

Music Director Cynthia Woods says, "I programmed this concert to explore the impact a singular person or event can have upon the fabric of our lives and communities. Angels Among Us, by Grammy-winning composer Nan Schwartz, will be performed in a live concert performance for the first time with acclaimed soloist Joseph Foley. It explores those unseen heroes among us such as teachers and friends, who often change the course of our lives. Joseph Schwantner's New Morning for the World sets some of the powerful speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to music and will be narrated by Reverend Ray Hammond."