The concert begins with Johannes Brahms’ musical throwback to student life as the boisterous sounds of his Academic Festival Overture fill the hall. Concertmaster Erin Aldridge then leads the of Afro-Cuban composer José White’s virtuosic Violin Concerto. The celebration now takes a jazzy turn with Duke Ellington’s cinematic and toe-tapping The River Suite before ending with Respighi’s exuberant Roman Festivals, a triumphant toast to 90 years of the DSSO.
