Alt-country group The Lone Bellow will join members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring" next month.
The special event is the last of the season for BSO's Pulse series. According to the BSO website, Pulse is a unique set of concerts that join rock bands with instrumentalists from the Symphony for one-time-only performances:
"Expand your musical horizons with Pulse, a new concert series that brings together the classical world and the indie rock scene on one stage. Each concert will explore connections that cross genres, opening with members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, followed by a performance by the featured band and culminating with a unique collaboration."
Brooklyn-based The Lone Bellow formed in 2011 and quickly became paragons of the indie-folk sphere. The trio of Kanene Pipkin, Brian Elmquist and Zach Williams have released two albums and performed on both NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts series and late-night talk show Conan.
The Lone Bellow's sophomore album, Then Came the Morning, was produced by The National's Bryce Dessner, with their self-titled debut helmed by renowned musician Charlie Peacock. Speaking to music blog A Beer With the Band, bassist and vocalist Pipkin described their Southern upbringing and its influence on their songwriting:
"When you're in the South, you're surrounded by country music in general. Half the radio stations are playing it all the time. My parents personally hated country music, but my mom loves Patsy Cline. That was as far as she was willing to go. She gave me a Patsy Cline album when I was 12. She said, 'Sing these songs please.'"
"Appalachian Spring" is a cherished orchestral suite by 20th century American composer Aaron Copland. It was commissioned in 1944 as a ballet by modern dancer Martha Graham and the Coolidge Foundation, the arts-endowing partnership of pianist Liz Coolidge and the Library of Congress. The vernacular symphony has endured as a popular piece, still performed by chamber groups worldwide.
The concert takes place Thursday, April 28 at 8:30 p.m. at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. Tickets are available at bsopulse.org.
Enjoy the New York Philharmonic's epic version of "Appalachian Spring" below, as led by legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein.
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