Holidays have long provided orchestras an opportunity to create annual concert traditions. From fire-works laden fourth of July extravaganzas and Christmas concerts, to more recent programs honoring the Lunar New Year or Martin Luther King Jr Day, these concerts can bring members of the community together to honor, celebrate and share cultural traditions.
So it is with the latest officially recognized federal holiday – the 19th of June, called Juneteenth. The day celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and refers to the day in 1865 that news of the Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln two years earlier, was delivered and read to the residents of Galveston, Texas following the arrival of Union troops. Celebrations to mark the anniversary of the day grew up in the ensuing years, and it became a federal holiday in 2021. Some orchestras are now offering concerts to mark the day and celebrate African-American musical traditions, and A Tempo this week looks at upcoming concerts by the Galveston Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. Host Rachel Katz will speak with André Raphel, who will conduct the Minnesota Orchestra in its first Juneteenth concert, and Trond Saeverud, music director of the Galveston Symphony Orchestra.
