Kalena Bovell conducts Florida's most accomplished young orchestral musicians in a program that pairs the irrepressible energy of the operatic stage with one of the most significant rediscoveries in the American orchestral repertoire.

The concert opens with Smetana's overture to The Bartered Bride, a spirited dash of Bohemian folk energy and theatrical flair that has delighted audiences for over 150 years. Rhythmically buoyant and full of character, it is an ideal vehicle for the exceptional players of the All-State Orchestra.

Margaret Bonds' Montgomery Variations is one of the most compelling rediscoveries in recent orchestral programming. Composed as a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., after Bonds' visit to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1963, the work draws on the spiritual "I Want Jesus to Walk with Me" to trace key moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Bonds never heard the piece performed, and the score was only rediscovered in 2017. Bovell and the All-State Orchestra bring this important work to a new generation of listeners.

Smetana Bartered Bride Overture
Margaret Bond Montgomery Variations