Sullivan Fortner, piano Kristiina Poska, conductor Often called “the great American opera,” Porgy and Bess has shaped American culture since 1935, inspiring artists from Maya Angelou to Miles Davis and Janis Joplin to Sublime. With George Gershwin’s unmistakable gift for melody, its music—alongside the iconic Rhapsody in Blue—blends jazz and classical styles to capture the vibrant spirit of two iconic American cities with deep musical heritage, Charleston and New York. Before intermission, the orchestra surges into Carl Nielsen’s powerful Fourth Symphony, “The Inextinguishable.” The program marks the orchestra’s debut performances with Estonian conductor Kristiina Poska and jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner. NIELSEN: Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable” GERSHWIN: Catfish Row: Suite from Porgy and Bess GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue Part of American Panorama: Voices of a Nation at 250. Join the audience for a free pre-performance talk by Patrick Castillo in Ramsey Concert Hall prior to the performance from 6:45-7:15 p.m. Castillo is a writer, composer, and former Vice President of Artistic Planning of the New York Philharmonic.