This program, guest conducted by Naima Burrs, brings you three very different but very important masterpieces of classical music written in the last century.

The first woman English composer to be granted a damehood, Dame Ethel Smyth was a child prodigy, a noted composer, and an important member of the women’s suffrage movement. NatPhil performs the overture to her opera The Boatswain’s Mate, which is based on the 1910 song “the March of Women”. The March for Women became the official anthem for the suffrage movement in the UK.

Margaret Bonds was one of the first Black composers to gain recognition in the US, in part from her frequent collaborations with Langston Hughes. Bonds composed the Montgomery Variations in response to the 1963 firebombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The group of freestyle variations are based on the spiritual theme “I want Jesus to Walk with Me”, and feature text written by Langston Hughes.

Declared “a triumphant success” on the night of its premiere in 1937, Dmitri Shostakovich’s rousing Symphony No 5 inspired an ovation that lasted well over half an hour.

These three compositions all have great cultural significance. Naima Burrs, known for amplifying the importance and contribution of female and African American composers and musicians, leads National Philharmonic in performance, bringing these wonderful and historic compositions to life. 

This program is a great way to close out NatPhil’s 40th season! By the end of this passionate concert, you may feel inspired to call it “a triumphant success”, and offer your own half hour ovation!