Saturday, August 8, 2026
8:00 PM
Special guests Jon Batiste, Jennifer Kreisberg (a founding member of the Native women’s trio ULALI), Aoife O’Donovan, James Taylor, historian Heather Cox Richardson, and Bryan Stevenson come together for the second of three concerts curated by Yo-Yo Ma. This quintessentially American program — featuring compositions with close ties to Tanglewood and the BSO, including works by Brent Michael Davids, Julia Wolfe, Bernstein, Copland, and Ives — reflects the triumphs, tragedies, and possibilities of our country, asking who we are, where we are going, and who we can be.
“America is an experiment, and to be an American is to always ask: Who are we? What is our purpose? What gives us meaning?” — Yo-Yo Ma
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Teddy Abrams and Ken-David Masur, conductor
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Aoife O'Donovan, vocals
Jennifer Kreisberg, vocals
James Taylor, vocals
Jon Batiste, piano and vocals
Heather Cox Richardson, guest speaker
Bryan Stevenson, guest speaker
Diana Wyenn, director and dramaturg
Aaron COPLAND Fanfare for the Common Man
Charles IVES The Unanswered Question
Brent Michael DAVIDS Indigenous/Undigenous II – Lenape
Stephen FOSTER Slumber My Darling
Traditional, (arr. Jeremy KITTEL) Lakes of Pontchartrain (with Bonnie Bewick, violin)
John Knowles PAINE Columbian March and Hymn
Antonín DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto, third movement
Leonard BERNSTEIN Improvisation on Somewhere from West Side Story
Jennifer KREISBERG naká·yè·r sihskę̀·nę (may it be that you have peace)
Julia WOLFE Liberty Bell
Jon BATISTE American Symphony theme; Big Money
FOSTER Hard Times Come Again No More
Carole KING You've Got a Friend
COPLAND Symphony No. 3, fourth movement
This broadcast is no longer available on demand.
Hear a conversation with Yo-Yo Ma about "We The People":
For more information on Tanglewood concerts, visit the BSO box office.