Made in America: Side by Side

FUCHS Quiet in the Land
GERSHWIN Second Rhapsody for Piano Orchestra
WILLIAMS Liberty Fanfare
BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Enjoy an electrifying afternoon of emotion-packed music celebrating four great American composers of the 20th century in a program that blends jazz-infused brilliance, lyrical reflection, and theatrical passion.

The concert opens with the return of celebrated pianist Alessandro da Fonseca, performing with your Space Coast Symphony Orchestra in a work rarely heard in the concert hall: George Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra. Bursting with rhythmic vitality and irresistible melody, the piece shares the tuneful charm and infectious energy of Rhapsody in Blue, while offering a bold, cinematic sound world all its own. Jazzy, catchy, and endlessly engaging, Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody captures the vibrant pulse of early 20th-century America.

The orchestra then welcomes back Grammy-winning composer Kenneth Fuchs, a long-time SCSO collaborator, for the Southeast U.S. Premiere of Quiet in the Land, a Poem for Orchestra. This haunting and beautifully crafted work draws inspiration from the rolling prairies of the Midwestern United States and the “immense arching sky” above them. Set against the sobering backdrop of the Second Gulf War, the music reflects a powerful contrast between pastoral serenity and global unrest, unfolding with luminous orchestral color and deep emotional resonance.

In the second half of the program, an annual audience favorite returns as selected youth musicians from across Central Florida join their professional SCSO counterparts onstage in a powerful side-by-side performance. Together, they present John Williams’ triumphant Liberty Fanfare, followed by Leonard Bernstein’s iconic Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.

From the explosive rhythms of “Mambo” to the aching lyricism of “Maria,” Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances plunge listeners headfirst into the feverish energy, dramatic tension, and heartbreaking love story of West Side Story. Passionate, theatrical, and unforgettable, the music brings the concert to a thrilling close—celebrating the enduring power of American music and the next generation of performers who will carry it forward.

Praised for his colorful contrasts and fiery playing, Dr. Alessandro Fonseca has been recognized as a “musician that seeks the inner message of every note played and aims to deliver a sound both passionate and intense, but also delicate and refined.”  Dr. Fonseca has won several prizes in piano competitions in South America and also international prizes, such as 1st place in the 2019 Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition and the 2nd Prize in the Piano Section, from the 2021 Medici International Competition, Professional category. During his career, Fonseca has participated in many international festivals such as the “Liszt and Russia” festival in Los Angeles, where he—alongside other performers—played Lyapunov’s Transcendental Etudes. As a member of the American Liszt Society, he has also performed many concerts, including Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes, opera and song paraphrases, transcriptions, the b minor sonata and many others.  Dr. Fonseca won the University of Oregon 2021 Concerto Competition playing the Khachaturian Piano Concerto. Recent performances include solo recitals playing Liszt’s b minor sonata and Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto with the DSC Symphony Orchestra.  In 2022, Dr. Fonseca was awarded Second Prize at the Red Maple International Music Competition, at the Professional Musician Category. He was also awarded the Audience Prize Winner in the Concerto Competition, for his rendition of the Khachaturian Piano Concerto and M. Balakirev’s Islamey. Dr. Fonseca works as Faculty at the Daytona State College and he is teaching piano and working as an accompanist for the music school.  Originally from Brazil, Dr. Fonseca currently maintains an active career performing solo and chamber music recitals. As a chamber musician, Dr. Fonseca has performed numerous concerts in different formations. One important project is his Duo Alarte, a violin-piano collaboration with Ana Zivkovic, an active duo that performs many concerts in South America. Dr. Fonseca is also the pianist for the Bel Canto Singers of Daytona.  Alessandro initiated his piano studies and musical training in his hometown, Campo Belo, MG, in Brazil when he was 10 years old, with Gil Eliazar. Further finished his Undergraduate course under the guidance of Professor Miriam Bastos, at the Minas Gerais State University. Later he finished his Master’s in Piano Performance under the guidance of professor Alexandre Dossin, at the University of Oregon and also received an award with his degree: the Outstanding Graduate Student Keyboard Player. Alessandro had studied also with Dr David Riley, at the University of Oregon, working on chamber music repertoire. In 2021, Alessandro was awarded the Doctorate in Musical Arts, at the University of Oregon, under the guidance of Alexandre Dossin and David Riley. At the UO, Alessandro worked for 6 years, as a collaborative pianist, doing studio accompaniment for vocalists and instrumentalists. Dr. Fonseca also worked as a piano instructor, teaching applied piano lessons, and class piano.

Kenneth Fuchs is the first living American composer recorded by the virtuoso Sinfonia of London and its brilliant conductor, John Wilson. In July 2023, Chandos Records released Cloud Slant, Orchestral Works, Volume 1, which includes two works for full orchestra, an exuberant composition for strings, and a concerto for C and alto flute, performed by the extraordinary Adam Walker.  Fuchs recorded for Naxos five albums with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by JoAnn Falletta, the last of which won the 2018 GRAMMY^® Award for “Best Classical Compendium.” In August 2020, Naxos released Point of Tranquility (Seven Works for Symphonic Winds), recorded by the United States Coast Guard Band. Naxos also published an album of chamber music including Falling Canons, Falling Trio and String Quartet No. 5 “American.” Albany Records published String Quartets 2, 3, 4 in definitive performances by the American String Quartet.  Fuchs has composed music for orchestra, band, voice, chorus, soloists, and various chamber ensembles. With Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson,

Fuchs created three chamber musicals. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum presented Fuchs’s operatic monodrama Falling Man (text by Don DeLillo, adapted by J. D. McClatchy) in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of 9/11. His music has achieved significant global recognition through performances, media exposure, and digital streaming and downloading.

Fuchs serves as Professor of Music Composition at the University of Connecticut. He is a graduate of the University of Miami and received master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees from The Juilliard School. His composition teachers include Milton Babbitt, David Diamond, and Vincent Persichetti. His music is published by Bill Holab Music, Hal Leonard LLC, Edward B. Marks Music Company, and Theodore Presser Company, and it has been recorded by Albany, Chandos, and Naxos.