Greenville Symphony season finale celebrates songs of Gershwin, Copland

The Greenville Symphony concludes its “American Season” with vocal and choral excerpts from George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess,” which conductor Lee Mills calls “the greatest American opera ever written.”

The May 16-17 performances at the Peace Center also spotlight Aaron Copland’s “Old American Songs” and Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.”

“It’s a great evening of American songs,” Mills said. “These are tried-and-true American classics.”

The program will feature guest soloists Laquita Mitchell, soprano; Kate Jackman, mezzo-soprano; and DeAndre Simmons, baritone. All three soloists perform widely on the operatic and concert stages.

Chorusmaster William Burgess has assembled a chorus from local churches, Furman University singers, and Chicora Voices, among others. The orchestra, chorus and soloists will offer such selections from “Porgy and Bess” as “Summertime,” “I Got Plenty of o’ Nuttin,” “Bess, You Is My Woman Now,” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.”

“I love songs. I love the human voice and love to feature it, maybe more than other conductors,” Mills said. “‘Porgy and Bess’ has long been one of my favorite pieces of music.”

Gershwin’s 1935 folk opera, of course, has a close connection to South Carolina. The story is a sympathetic portrait of everyday life in Charleston’s fictional Catfish Row, which South Carolina novelist DuBose Heyward based on the real historical Black community known as Cabbage Row.

Gershwin’s adaptation of Heyward’s 1925 novel “Porgy” sought to create a serious operatic work rooted in African American musical styles. The work has since come to be recognized as one of the most important American operas of the 20th century.

“I can’t think of an American opera that has had a bigger impact around the world,” Mills said. “It was really forward-thinking for its time.”

‘Old American Songs’

Copland’s “Old American Songs,” meanwhile, is a set of traditional tunes that Copland orchestrated with clarity, directness and emotional honesty.

The melodies range from the satirical “The Dodger” to the lyrical “Simple Gifts,” the playful “I Bought Me a Cat” and the jubilant “Ching-A-Ring Chaw.”

The program opens with Barber’s emotionally charged “Adagio for Strings,” a deeply felt 1936 piece often associated with grief and consolation.

“I’ve added this to the program recently because I think there’s a need for healing right now,” Mills said.

The Greenville Symphony will host a discussion, “Cultural Authenticity and Artistic Authority in ‘Porgy and Bess,’” at the Hughes Main Library at 11 a.m. on May 15. Tickets are free; please register at greenvillesymphony.org.