George Gershwin invented a new American idiom by fusing classical music’s disciplined elegance with the swinging spontaneity of jazz in Rhapsody in Blue, inspiring bold work from successors like Aaron Copland, William Bolcom and John Adams.

Aaron Copland Quiet City
John Adams Short Ride in a Fast Machine
George Gershwin Lullaby
Mads Tolling Yggdrasil
William Bolcom Graceful Ghost Rag
George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

Mads Tolling, violin • Philip Setzer, violin • Adam Golka, piano • Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia, english horn • Carol Wincenc, flute • Guilherme Batalha, clarinet • Delano Bell, bassoon • Shichen Li, horn • Grace O’Connell, trumpet • Matthew Nienow, trombone • Michael Salzman, tuba • Ethan Cowburn, percussion • Gregg August, bass • Ian Niederhoffer, conductor • Festival Young Artists

Manchester Music Festival, the renowned Vermont chamber music festival under the artistic direction of Philip Setzer of the Emerson String Quartet, returns for its 52nd season with “Sounding America: Music That Shaped US,” a journey across American music, exploring the enduring musical threads that connect America’s past and present. July 7 through September 6, 2026.

Image courtesy: Manchester Music Festival

Enjoy dinner at SVAC’s curATE café. Visit OpenTable for reservations or call 802.362.9100.