Defiance

featuring Clayton Stephenson, piano

What happens when a composer’s only way to speak the truth is through the music itself? Experience a program that explores the grit and bravery of the creative spirit, beginning with the vibrant, rhythmic pulse of Jessie Montgomery’s Overture. You’ll witness the "extraordinary narrative and poetic gifts" of pianist Clayton Stephenson as he tackles the towering virtuosity of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1—a masterpiece that famously conquered its critics to become an icon of the stage. The evening reaches a gripping climax with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, a work of staggering intensity composed under the watchful eye of a regime, hiding a message of secret resistance beneath a veneer of public triumph. From start to finish, this is an evening of high-stakes drama and sonic bravery, celebrating the moments when an artist refuses to be silenced.

JESSIE MONTGOMERY Overture 
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY  Piano Concerto No. 1
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 5