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Damien Sneed, conductor
Phylicia Rashad, guest artist, narrator
Alexander Laing, clarinet (The Phoenix Symphony)
Monica Ellis, bassoon (Imani Winds)
Billy Hunter, trumpet (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra)
Weston Sprott, trombone (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra)
Wesley Sumpter, percussion (LA Phil)
Tai Murray, violin (Yale School of Music)
Patricia Silva Weitzel, double bass (Des Moines Symphony)

IGOR STRAVINSKY           
The Soldier’s Tale Suite

WYNTON MARSALIS
A Fiddler’s Tale

An all-star lineup of leading musicians comes together to perform two iconic works: Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale Suite and Wynton Marsalis’ A Fiddler’s Tale. Written with novelist C. F. Ramuz as a work that could be produced easily and economically during World War I, Stravinsky’s suite tells of a soldier who deals with the devil, rising to fame and fortune, but crumbling when the devil returns to reclaim his soul. Created as a response to The Soldier’s Tale Suite, Marsalis’ A Fiddler’s Tale brings the story into the present and into his own sound world, pulling in elements of jazz, blues, ragtime, and more. All members of the Gateways Music Festival, this special ensemble includes members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Imani Winds, The Phoenix Symphony, and more.

A NOTE FROM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JENNIFER KOH
How thrilling to have the best of the best orchestral performers joining us in our Fortas season! In this special Gateways Musical Festival concert, it’s about engaging with the past—what can we learn? How have we evolved? In Igor Stravinsky’s tale, there’s a point where the soldier denies his past, further exploring that concept. And in Wynton Marsalis’ story, it’s interesting to have a more contemporary, American take on the concept of selling one’s soul.