Production of the United Sounds of America is made possible with leadership support

from Joe and Madeleine Glossberg, with additional funding from the Komarek-Hyde-

McQueen Foundation and Patricia Hyde. Symphony Center Presents extends special

thanks to Joe Glossberg for chairing this concert series.

Media Sponsor:

New York City FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 8:00

BILL CHARLAP piano

Kurt Elling vocals

Ken Peplowski clarinet

Jeremy Pelt trumpet

Jimmy Greene tenor saxophone

Peter Washington bass

Kenny Washington drums

SUZANNE VEGA guitar and vocals

Tom Paxton guitar and vocals

Richard Julian guitar and vocals

Gerry Leonard guitar

Mike Visceglia bass

Th is portrait of New York’s rich and varied musical

history focuses on two distinct and important eras.

First, Bill Charlap directs an all-star ensemble,

including Chicago native and jazz vocalist Kurt

Elling, on a journey through the music of the Roaring

Twenties, Broadway, Ellington, Bernstein, Sinatra and

be-bop. In the second half, accomplished singer-songwriter

Suzanne Vega and guests Richard Julian and legendary folk singer

and Chicago native Tom Paxton celebrate the New York folk music

scene of the 1950s, ‘60s and beyond.

Route 66 SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 8:00

Inspired by America’s “Mother Road,” this performance

is directed by legendary folk singer Arlo Guthrie, and

showcases the nostalgic songs and music of an era when

this famous highway was the path of choice through the

American west, uniting people on their journey from Chicago

to Los Angeles. With its starting point adjacent to Symphony Center at the

corner of Michigan and Adams, Route 66 celebrates its 85th anniversary in 2011.

Singer-songwriters Vance Gilbert, Eliza Gilkyson and Chris Smither join Guthrie

for this celebration of America’s most famous highway.

ARLO GUTHRIE guitar and vocals

Vance Gilbert guitar and vocals

Eliza Gilkyson guitar and vocals

Chris Smither guitar and vocals

New Orleans SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 7:00

Th e birthplace of the great American brass band tradition, New

Orleans is home to one of the fi rst black neighborhoods in America,

Treme, which is the heartbeat of the city and home to Congo Square.

“A Night in Treme” (Th e Musical Majesty of New Orleans), produced in

conjunction with HBO, features the legendary Rebirth Brass Band joined

by Mardi Gras Indian Chief and alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr., clarinet

virtuoso Dr. Michael White, funky trombonist Big Sam Williams, charismatic

trumpeter James Andrews, and narrator Wendell Pierce, star of HBO’s Treme.

DONALD HARRISON, JR. alto saxophone and vocals

Rebirth Brass Band

Dr. Michael White clarinet

Big Sam Williams trombone and vocals

James Andrews trumpet

Wendell Pierce narrator

Memphis THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 8:00

From the early jug bands to today’s crunksters, Memphis

has given birth to some of America’s most infl uential

musical styles including blues, southern soul, gospel and

rockabilly. Th e renowned recording studios and record labels

of Memphis have spread these sounds throughout the world.

Celebrated saxophonist and CEO of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music

Kirk Whalum leads an ensemble of Memphis legends including Stax/Volt

pioneer William Bell and contemporary songstress Wendy Moten.

KIRK WHALUM tenor saxophone

William Bell vocals

Wendy Moten vocals

Detroit FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 8:00

While Detroit is synonymous with Motown Records, the city also boasts

a rich history of jazz, rhythm & blues, gospel, rock & roll, hip-hop and

techno. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Marshall Crenshaw developed

this concert, focusing primarily on the jazz, rock and R&B scene of yesterday and

today in Detroit, featuring special guest Regina Carter as well as the great lady of

soul Bettye LaVette, Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs and Mick Collins of the

Dirtbombs.

MARSHALL CRENSHAW guitar and vocals

Special Guest Regina Carter violin

Bettye LaVette vocals

Brendan Benson guitar and vocals

Mick Collins guitar and vocals

Wayne Kramer guitar

Amp Fiddler keyboards and vocals

Ralphe Armstrong bass

Ali Jackson drums

Austin SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 8:00

Austin boasts a diverse and vibrant live music scene. It

is home to a thriving Tejano music community and to

some of the fi nest songwriters in modern American music.

Insightful and eclectic, Alejandro Escovedo explores over

100 years of the “Live Music Capital of the World” with many of

Austin’s fi nest musicians such as singer-songwriters Roky Erickson

and Butch Hancock.

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO guitar and vocals

Roky Erickson guitar and vocals

Butch Hancock guitar and vocals

David Pulkingham guitar and vocals

Stephen Barber keyboards and vocals

Cindy Cashdollar dobro and guitar

Joel Guzman accordion and vocals

Glenn Fukunaga bass

Chris Searles drums

S Y M P H O N Y C E N T E R P R E S E N T S

a journey through musical roots

J U N E

1 0 - 1 2 & 1 6 - 1 8

Symphony Center Presents, in association with Absolutely Live Entertainment, showcases a series of unique concerts that will put a unifying spotlight

on the immense variety of American sounds that have emanated from our country’s musical capitals. Highlighting music from the “Great White Way”

to the Memphis blues, from the sweet soul of Detroit to the brass band traditions of New Orleans, and from the fi ne melodies of Austin to the road

songs of Route 66, these concerts will bring together artists with often-divergent musical styles in multigenre and multigenerational collaborations.

6 UNIQUE 6 UNIQUE NIGHTS &COLLABORATIONS

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Consulting Producer for The United Sounds of America: Absolutely Live Entertainment, LLC Danny Melnick, President and Director

For each concert, these seven musical directors have designed a program exploring the unique

sounds of their city, inviting special guest artists to collaborate on these dynamic and distinctive

concerts. See the concert listings within for complete program and artist information.

Artists, prices, and programs subject to change.

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRASYMPHONY CENTER PRESENTS

220 South Michigan AvenueChicago, IL 60604-2559

Join us for this journey through America’s musical roots!

T I C K E T S O N S A L E N O W A T

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