Manchester University

The Manchester Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will share its musical storytelling tradition on May 11 with the American Legends concert.

North Manchester resident Jim Chinworth will join the MSO onstage reading the immortal words of President Abraham Lincoln in Aaron Copland's “A Lincoln Portrait.”

The MSO will also perform Conductor Debra Lynn's composition, “Appleseed Variations.” This is a theme with six short variations, each inspired by a different legend from the life of Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman, whose lifelong tree-planting journey took him, on foot, from Massachusetts all the way to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he died and was buried in 1845. The variations explore Chapman's desire to live simply, his love of nature, encounters with wild animals, his faith in God, and his friendship with indigenous peoples.

The concert will feature two soloists:

• Scott Humphries, Ph.D., on soprano saxophone in “Three Black Kings,” a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. composed by Duke Ellington. Humphries is director of education at the Pearl Street Arts Center in Fort Wayne. He is a former MSO conductor and MU professor.
• Soprano McKenzie Hare ’18 with the soaring melodies of Mohican composer Brent Michael Davids’s “Spirit Woman Song.” Hare holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Manchester University and a master’s degree in vocal performance and literature from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She co-starred this fall in the debut performance of Opera Today! in Fort Wayne.

The MSO will perform two pieces composed by Davids. In “Spirit Woman Song” the soloist performs "vocables." These are syllables that form an intertribal way of communicating feelings in songs. “Lake Winds” is inspired by the indigenous people who live near a Minnesota lake. It features the MSO flute section performing bird calls against the backdrop of nature sounds conjured by the orchestra. Kathy Davis, professor of chemistry at MU and principal flutist, will be joined by Kelly Hornbarger and Patty Chambers in creating the bird calls.

“There is one other American legend represented on our program, but we are keeping that character's identity masked until the performance. You'll have to attend the concert to find out about that surprise,” Lynn said.

"Although the United States is a relatively young nation compared with others around the globe, America has a rich history that began long before we became the USA. This concert explores some of the legendary figures that form our rich tapestry. Some are true and some are fiction. Most fall somewhere in between, but all of them color our palette and paint our unique American landscape," she said. "I'm excited to tell all these stories with the help of our wonderful MSO."

The American Legends concert is 3 p.m. Sunday, May 11 in MU’s Cordier Auditorium.

General admission is $20. Tickets and a livestream link are available for purchase at manchestersymphonyorchestra.org. As part of its outreach efforts, admission to this concert is free for those 18 and younger, as well as for MU students and employees who bring MU ID.

In honor of Mother’s Day and the American legends featured May 11, we ask those attending to bring nonperishable food items that will be donated to food pantries in North Manchester.

This concert closes out the Manchester Symphony Orchestra's 86th season.

North Manchester is one of the smallest communities in the nation with its own symphony orchestra. Residents of Wabash County and what was then Manchester College founded the symphony in 1939. That partnership continues today with a carefully crafted collaboration of professional and community musicians, as well as selected MU students, staff and faculty musicians.