Made in America: Side by Side

FUCHS Quiet in the Land
GERSHWIN Second Rhapsody for Piano Orchestra
WILLIAMS Summon the Heroes
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 and under the direction Frederick Blanchard, they present John Williams’ exhilarating Summon the Heroes, one of the most recognizable themes in television history

The program closes with 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 who “seeks the inner message of every note played” and delivers a sound that is passionate and intense, yet delicate and refined.

Dr. Fonseca has won numerous prizes in piano competitions in South America and internationally, including First Place in the 2019 Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition and Second Prize in the Piano Section of the 2021 Medici International Competition, Professional Category. In 2022, he was awarded Second Prize in the Professional Musician Category of the Red Maple International Music Competition, and was also named Audience Prize Winner in concerto competition for his performances of Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto and Balakirev’s Islamey.

An active performer, Dr. Fonseca has appeared at international festivals including the “Liszt and Russia” festival in Los Angeles, where he performed Lyapunov’s Transcendental Etudes alongside other artists. As a member of the American Liszt Society, he has performed extensively in programs featuring Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes, opera and song paraphrases, transcriptions, the B minor Sonata, and other works. He won the University of Oregon’s 2021 Concerto Competition with Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto. Recent performances include solo recitals featuring Liszt’s B minor Sonata and Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto with the Daytona State College Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Fonseca, formerly a piano instructor at Daytona State College, was recently appointed Piano Professor at Mississippi Valley State University, where he will begin his tenure this fall. He also served as the pianist for the Bel Canto Singers of Daytona.  Originally from Brazil, he maintains an active career performing solo and chamber music recitals. As a chamber musician, he has appeared in numerous concerts in a variety of formations. One of his important ongoing projects is Duo Alarte, a violin-piano collaboration with Ana Zivkovic that performs frequently in South America.

Dr. Fonseca began his piano studies and musical training at age 10 in his hometown of Campo Belo, Minas Gerais, Brazil, with Gil Eliazar. He completed his undergraduate studies under Professor Miriam Bastos at Minas Gerais State University, and later earned his master’s degree in Piano Performance at the University of Oregon under Professor Alexandre Dossin, receiving the Outstanding Graduate Student Keyboard Player award. He also studied chamber music with Dr. David Riley. In 2021, Dr. Fonseca earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oregon under the guidance of Alexandre Dossin and David Riley. During his six years at the University of Oregon, he worked as a collaborative pianist, accompanying vocalists and instrumentalists, and also taught applied piano 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.

Frederick Blanchard is an emerging conductor and educator based in Florida, active across orchestral, choral, and percussion settings. He currently serves as Director of Orchestras at University High School and Galaxy Middle School, Assistant Director of Percussion at Ocoee High School, and Music Director for Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages, where he leads a wide range of ensemble and worship music programs.

Blanchard was recently accepted into the Varna International Music Academy, where he will pursue advanced training as a student conductor, focusing on opera, musical theatre, and orchestral repertoire under faculty affiliated with leading U.S. and international institutions. This opportunity reflects his growing presence as a conductor committed to artistic excellence and continued professional development.

A passionate advocate for music education, Blanchard also serves as an adjudicator for the Florida Orchestra Association Solo & Ensemble Festival, supporting and mentoring young musicians from across the state. His teaching and performing work reflect a broad and versatile musical foundation, informed by experience in conducting, percussion, and vocal performance.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Rollins College, where he studied conducting with Dr. John Sinclair, percussion with Jeremy Katalenic, composition and theory with Dr. Daniel Crozier, and voice with Stephen Mumbert.