PROGRAM

Ervín Schulhoff, 6 Esquisses de jazz

Reza Vali, Love Drunk

Augusta Holmes, Fantaisie

Quinn Mason, The 19th Amendment

PERFORMERS

Nicholas Brown, clarinet

Alyssa Wang, violin

Ruoting Li, piano

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

The Boston Festival Orchestra presents a program that honors artists who wielded music as a tool of resistance, truth, and moral courage. From composers silenced by the Holocaust and censored under Stalin’s regime to those who confronted the enduring realities of slavery and systemic injustice, these works illuminate the unbreakable link between artistic expression and freedom.

Presented in partnership with the Boston Public Library as part of its yearlong Revolutionary Ideas initiative, this concert explores how revolutionary thought has shaped, and continues to shape, our cultural and civic life. Long before ideas appear in speeches or policy, they often take root in art: in sound, in story, and in the quiet insistence on being heard. Through their courage and creativity, these composers remind us that music can speak truth to power, preserve memory in the face of erasure, and spark the ideas that move humanity forward.

Join BFO Artistic Director Alyssa Wang, BFO musicians, and guest artists for an intimate performance paired with thoughtful discussion, connecting music, history, and the revolutionary ideas that continue to define who we are.

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This concert is free and open to the public, with registration required.