After a more than two-year hiatus, the SFCO returns to the stage for the second time this Spring at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 5 at the Scottish Rite Temple for an eclectic program whose centerpiece is the Montgomery Variations (1964) of Margaret Bonds.  The program will be conducted by William Waag, whom many will recognize as the music director of the Santa Fe Youth Symphony.
 
Margaret Bonds was an American composer, pianist, arranger and teacher.  She was one of the first Black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States; she is remembered for her arrangements of African-American spirituals and frequent collaborations with Langston Hughes.   The Montgomery Variations was influenced by the movement to eliminate the segregationist policies of the Jim Crow South, focusing on the Montgomery Bus Boycotts and the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.  The work was dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr.   It has been performed only a handful of times and its preservation after Ms. Bonds’ death was truly miraculous. 
 
Also being performed will be the thrilling third movement of Howard Hanson’s Symphony No. 2 and the second movement of the Beethoven Symphony No 7.
 
As COVID continues to impact our community, we ask that our patrons and musicians do their best to reduce the spread of the virus, following government-issued directives and suggestions regarding vaccines, social distancing, and mask usage.
 
As always, the concert is free of charge and open to all.  If you are willing and able, you may donate at the concert or use our website (http://sfco.org) to donate digitally.
 
Mark your calendars for this return of the full orchestra and the unique music of Margaret Bonds, Howard Hanson, and Ludwig van Beethoven this Sunday, June 5, at 2:30 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Temple.

William Waag, Conductor
Sunday, June 5, 2022, 2:30 PM
Scottish Rite Temple

The Montgomery Variations (1964), Margaret Bonds
Symphony No. 7, second movement, Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 2, third movement, Howard Hanson