We Are America: Frost Wind Ensemble

American concert music comes into focus through works by Aaron Copland, William Schuman, Adolphus Hailstork and John Williams in a season-opening performance by the Frost Wind Ensemble. Taking place Sunday, September 6, at UM Gusman Concert Hall, the concert launches Frost Music Live’s 2026-2027 season while marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Michael Hancock conducts.

The program pairs familiar patriotic and orchestral traditions with works that examine American history from different angles. Copland’s Lincoln Portrait combines orchestral writing with excerpts from Abraham Lincoln’s speeches, while Schuman’s New England Triptych draws on music by early American composer William Billings. Hailstork’s American Guernica responds to the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church, bringing a more somber historical perspective to the program.

The concert also includes John Williams’ arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” placing the national anthem within a program that considers both the celebratory and more complicated dimensions of the American experience.