AMERICAN SOUND TAKES FLIGHT to Open at The Wallis

MUSE/IQUE will present AMERICAN SOUND TAKES FLIGHT: From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon - Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness, led by Artistic & Music Director Rachael Worby with Brandon Victor Dixon, Liv Redpath, and the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra. There are four performances presented between October 23 and 28, 2026 at The Wallis and the Ambassador Auditorium in partnership with The Wallis and proudly sponsored by Classical California. 

When composer Aaron Copland plucked folk tunes and church hymns from the American soil and infused them with the nobility and grand scale of the symphony orchestra, he gave his country a new musical identity and helped define the American Sound. This rich tradition, of taking folk language and lifting it into the halls of high art, established musical Americana… a tradition that was proudly carried on by composers like Leonard Bernstein and John Williams, and songwriters like Paul Simon, Prince, and Dolly Parton.

AMERICAN SOUND TAKES FLIGHT is an aerial overview of this diverse landscape. From the hymnlike folk of “American Tune,” to the funk gospel of “Purple Rain,” to the soaring heart song “I Will Always Love You,” the spirit of Copland lives on in so many different songs and scores that treat the ordinary with majesty. This is a celebration of great art music of the people, by the people, and for the people.

MUSE/IQUE is thrilled to share the stage once again with Broadway superstar Brandon Victor Dixon and the radiant opera soprano Liv Redpath, two versatile singers who will help the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra make the flight of this American sound — all under the steady hand of Artistic & Music Director Rachael Worby, who will tie the story together with her usual depth of narration.

Once a year, MUSE/IQUE throws its doors open to the entire community to experience its unique mission and story-rich approach to the live music experience. The final performance of American Sound Takes Flight, and of the 2026 season, is an Open House concert at the historic Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena — free to non-members and the public. Now is the perfect time for MUSE/IQUE members to invite their friends and family to encounter the magic of curated musical enlightenment.

This program is a coda to an unprecedented year at MUSE/IQUE, which has included a tribute to Quincy Jones, music inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Harlem Renaissance, Joni Mitchell, and songs of the American West. In a year that also commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence— our founding document which empowered the people of this country to govern their own stories— American Sound Takes Flight is a declaration of the heart of our national music-making, and an inspiring beacon lighting our way forward.

About the Artists

Brandon Victor Dixon (vocals) is a Grammy Award winner who has also been nominated for an Emmy, and 3 Tony Awards. He has produced multiple works including the Tony Award-winning Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring Neil Patrick Harris and the political thriller, 88. A Presidential Scholar semi-finalist, Brandon studied at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford, and is a graduate of Columbia University. His Broadway credits include Hamilton, Shuffle Along, The Color Purple, Motown: The Musical, Kander and Ebb's Chicago, The Scottsboro Boys, and Hell's Kitchen. His TV credits include The Best Man, NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar, Power, She's Gotta Have it, Modern Love, The Good Wife, This Is Us, Firebuds, and The Best Man.
@brandonvdixon on socials