The Dream of America

Program*

Arturo Márquez | Conga del Fuego
‍Tan Dun | Crouching Tiger Concerto
Peter Boyer | Ellis Island: The Dream of America

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Join the orchestra and cellist Meeka Quan DiLorenzo for a powerful afternoon!

First, we’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Mexican composer Arturo Márquez’s Conga del Fuego. Composed in 2005, this quick 3-minute piece translates as “Conga of Fire” and is a pulsating, joyous burst of dance.

Next, cellist Meeka Quan DiLorenzo joins the orchestra for contemporary Chinese American composer Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Concerto from the iconic Ang Lee film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). The score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon earned Tan an Academy Award and a Grammy. Written for and inspired by Yo-Yo Ma, this concerto for cello and orchestra features melodies and performing techniques indicative of the cultural intermingling that took place along the Silk Road. 

Cellist Meeka Quan DiLorenzo began her cello studies at age 6 with Suzuki teacher Beth Goldstein, and has since studied under Julie Feldman, Irene Sharp, Stephan Geber and Richard Aaron. DiLorenzo currently plays as Assistant Principal for the Seattle Symphony. An avid chamber musician, she has performed with members of the Juilliard and Cleveland string quartets, and has received invitations to the Aspen, Ravinia, Taos, Kingston, Sun Valley and Kneisel Hall music festivals. 

Lastly, we are honored to present contemporary composer Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America. Premiered in 2002, the work has gone on to become one of the most performed American classical orchestral works composed in the last 20 years. Ellis Island provides a glimpse into the American Dream as experienced by American immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. The work features several narrators performing spoken texts from the Ellis Island Oral History Project which are interwoven with the music. A recording of Ellis Island was featured on PBS’ Great Performances series in 2018.

Find inspiration and excitement in this incredible afternoon!

“I like to think of musicians as ambassadors of ideas and emotions. At the very least, we are here to communicate and serve our community. At the very most, we are able to universally inspire.”  
-Meeka Quan DiLorenzo,
International Examiner

Of Note
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The score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon earned Tan an Academy Award and a Grammy.

Márquez’s interest in music was due to his exposure to a variety of musical styles by his father, a Mariachi musician, and his grandfather, a Mexican folk musician. (Dallas Symphony)

Ellis Island: The Dream of America combines first-person narrations of seven immigrants who entered the United States through Ellis Island between 1910 and 1940, selected by Boyer from the Ellis Island Oral History Project, with Boyer’s original orchestral music.

Meeka Quan DiLorenzo loves summer in the PNW and self-describes as a “lake junkie” for swimming and paddleboarding. (Fabulous Washington)

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Experience One-of-A-Kind Moments!

Check out our BSO Health & Safety Guidelines and Concert FAQs to find out more about how we are working to keep you safe while sharing the joy of LIVE music.

Tickets: $15 to $52

A Pre-Concert Lecture about the program will take place at 2:15PM in the Walton Theatre. Doors open at 2PM and seating is limited, so please plan accordingly. These lectures are free for ticket-holders.

This concert qualifies for Classical Kids, Take-A-Teen, and Student Rush ticket discounts. Visit https://www.bellinghamsymphony.org/visit-us/ticket-discounts to learn more.

*All programs subject to change

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