ELLIS ISLAND: Dream of America

Artina McCain, Piano 

This extraordinary program presents a work of the powerful, contemporary voice of composer Carlos Simon, whose works resonate with history, hope, and heart. Pianist Artina McCain returns to perform George Gershwin’s brilliant Piano Concerto in F, a work that blends classical traditions with the bold rhythms of jazz and pulses with energy, romance, and the unmistakable spirit of the American Jazz Age. The program closes with Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: Dream of America, a poignant and inspiring tribute to the immigrants who shaped the American story. Innovative in its format, the work brings elements of the theater and multimedia into the concert hall, employing actors and projected historical images from the Ellis Island archives. The spoken texts for the work come from the Ellis Island Oral History Project, an historic collection of interviews with actual immigrants about their experiences emigrating to America. This dynamic work reminds us of the hopes, struggles, and dreams that built a nation. 

Program:

CARLOS SIMON                              Hellfighter’s Blues

GEORGE GERSHWIN                    Piano Concerto in F

PETER BOYER                                 Ellis Island: Dream of America

Sat. March 14, 2026, 7:30 p.m. | Mount Hood Community College, Gresham

Sun. March 15, 2026, 3:00 p.m. | The Reser, Beaverton
Ticketing for Sunday’s concert is being handled entirely by The Reser. Reser Box office: 971-501-7722. Boxoffice@theReser.org

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