BOCA RATON — The 60-piece Klezmer Company Orchestra (KCO), conducted by Maestro Aaron Kula, and joined by vocalists Daniel Cochran and Lisanne Lyons, will present “Spirit of America: American Masters of Song and Dance,” Sunday, June 26, at 3 p.m. at Florida Atlantic University’s Carole and Barry Kaye Performing Arts Auditorium, on FAU’s Boca Raton campus.
The musical extravaganza will feature classic American music that blends jazz and folk songs written between 1932-1945 by such composers as Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Glenn Miller.
“The music exploits lush string melodies, syncopated rhythms, jazz harmonies and virtuoso playing from the entire orchestra, and I am very excited about conducting this work for the first time in my career,’’ said Kula, KCO’s conductor and FAU Libraries’ director of music collections and performance.
“Premiering the music of legendary composers Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and this is a big deal for the library, the musicians and the audience,” said Kula.
This is the sixth consecutive year FAU Libraries have sponsored a concert in celebration of the Marvin and Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection, which was donated to the library in 2006 by the Weiners of Boca Raton. The collection contains more than 13,000 printed items from the American Revolutionary era and other imprints, mostly American, British and French. WXEL and the University Club at FAU Foundation provide additional support.
Concert tickets are $17-$38. Call 800-564-9539 or visit www.fauevents.com. Early reservations are recommended. For information on KCO, visit http://www.youtube.com/user/KlezmerCompany.