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Boyer RHAPSODY IN RED, WHITE & BLUE to be premiered in all 50 states

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The Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue project by composer Peter Boyer and pianist Jeffrey Biegel continues to expand its reach, securing performance commitments from 54 orchestras in all 50 of the United States. In addition, reaching beyond the United States to achieve an international presence, Boyer and Biegel recorded the new Rhapsody with the world-renowned London Symphony Orchestra for the acclaimed Naxos American Classics Series. Naxos will release this recording on February 23, 2024, with a two-week exclusive period for Apple Music beginning February 9, 2024.

Biegel, a prolific pianist with an extraordinary record of commissioning new works for piano and orchestra, commissioned Boyer to compose this new work in celebration of the centennial of George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue (premiered February 12, 1924). Since 2020, Biegel has pursued a highly ambitious “Rhapsody National Initiative,” with the goal of performing Boyer’s new work with at least one orchestra in each of the 50 United States. As of January 2024, this remarkable vision has been fulfilled, and Boyer’s new Rhapsody will be performed by orchestras in all 50 states by the 2026-27 season (details below). This is believed to be an unprecedented feat for a new concerto by an American composer.

The Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue was recorded with Biegel as soloist, and Boyer conducting the London Symphony Orchestra at the famed AIR Studios, Lyndhurst Hall on November 27, 2023. Simon Rhodes, Senior Engineer at Abbey Road Studios, known for his work on projects such as the first two Harry Potter film scores, the Avatar film scores, and hundreds of classical albums and other film scores, was producer and engineer for the recording. Naxos will release the Rhapsody recording on February 23, 2024.This is Boyer’s fourth recording for the American Classics Series, and his third recording with the LSO as composer and conductor. (Photos by Benjamin Ealovega)

Boyer’s ca. 18-minute Rhapsody was premiered on June 30, 2023, with Biegel and the Utah Symphony conducted by Benjamin Manis, on the opening night of the Deer Valley Music Festival in Park City, Utah. An outdoor audience of more than 3,000 rewarded the new work with a prolonged standing ovation — a reaction which has been repeated by audiences at each subsequent performance, by nine different orchestras to date.

The following orchestras and conductors are participating in the “Rhapsody National Initiative” (as of 1/17/24):

01 Aberdeen University/Civic Symphony (SD), Christopher Stanichar, conductor
02 Arapahoe Philharmonic (CO), Devin Patrick Hughes, conductor
03 Augusta Symphony Orchestra (GA), Dirk Meyer, conductor
04 Brevard Symphony Orchestra (FL), Christopher Confessore, conductor
05 Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (NY), Stuart Chafetz, conductor
06 Butler Philharmonic (OH), Scott Woodard, conductor
07 Central Ohio Symphony (OH), Jaime Morales-Matos, conductor
08 Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (MN), Dirk Meyer, conductor
09 East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra (TN), Jeremy Francisco, conductor
10 Endless Mountain Music Festival (PA), Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor
11 Evanston Symphony Orchestra (IL), Lawrence Eckerling, conductor
12 Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra (ND), Christopher Zimmerman, conductor
13 Fairfax Symphony Orchestra (VA), Christopher Zimmerman, conductor
14 Greater Bridgeport Symphony (CT), conductor TBD
15 Gulf Coast Symphony (FL), Andrew Kurtz, conductor
16 Idaho State Civic Symphony (ID), Nell Flanders, conductor
17 Juneau Symphony (AK), Christopher Koch, conductor
18 Kamuela Philharmonic (HI), Brian Dollinger, conductor
19 Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra (WA), Michael Miropolsky, conductor
20 Las Cruces Symphony (NM), Ming Luke, conductor
21 Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (TX), David Cho, conductor
22 Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (DE, MD), Michael Repper, conductor
23 Mid-Texas Symphony (TX), Akiko Fujimoto, conductor
24 Missoula Symphony Orchestra (MT), Julia Tai, conductor
25 The Missouri Symphony (MO), Wilbur Lin, conductor
26 Montgomery Symphony Orchestra (AL), Jamie Reeves, conductor
27 Muscatine Symphony Orchestra (IA), Brian Dollinger, conductor
28 New England Music Camp (ME), Simon Gollo, conductor
29 New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra (NH), Mark Latham, conductor
30 New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJ), Helen Cha-Pyo, conductor
31 North Charleston Pops (SC), Nick Palmer, conductor
32 North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MS), Steven Byess, conductor
33 Orchestra Omaha (NE), Kenneth Meints, conductor
34 Pacific Symphony (CA), Carl St.Clair, conductor
35 Paducah Symphony Orchestra (KY), Raffaele Ponti, conductor
36 Peninsula Music Festival (WI), Rune Bergmann, conductor
37 Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra (RI), Aram Demirjian, conductor
38 Rogue Valley Symphony (OR), Martin Majkut, conductor
39 Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (WA), Juan Felipe Molano, conductor
40 Shreveport Symphony (LA), Michael Butterman, conductor
41 Signature Symphony (OK), Scott Seaton, conductor
42 South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (AK), Kermit Poling, conductor
43 South Bend Symphony Orchestra (IN), Alastair Willis, conductor
44 Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra (AZ), Linus Lerner, conductor
45 Southwest Symphony (UT), Lucas Darger, conductor
46 Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA), Peter Boyer, conductor
47 Traverse Symphony Orchestra (MI), Kevin Rhodes, conductor
48 UNLV Symphony Orchestra (NV), Taras Krysa, conductor
49 Utah Symphony (UT), Benjamin Manis, conductor
50 Vermont Youth Orchestra (VT), Mark Alpízar, conductor
51 Western Piedmont Symphony (NC), Matthew Troy, conductor
52 West Virginia State Philharmonic Orchestra (WV), Scott Woodard, conductor
53 Wichita Symphony Orchestra (KS), Daniel Hege, conductor
54 Wyoming Symphony Orchestra (WY), Christopher Dragon, conductor

The commission of Boyer’s Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue was made possible through a generous consortium of sponsors. The Billy Rose Foundation was the lead sponsor of the commission, and the exclusive sponsor of the recording.

The score is available for purchase here.

New Boyer CD instantly hits the top of the charts

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Naxos Releases Recording of Composer Peter Boyer with the London Symphony Orchestra

Boyer’s fourth album features Balance of Power, commissioned by the Kennedy Center; Fanfare for Tomorrow, commissioned for President Biden’s inauguration; and other premiere recordings, conducted by the composer.

On July 8, 2022, Naxos releases American composer/conductor Peter Boyer’s newest recording, with the London Symphony Orchestra under his direction. The album includes eight of Boyer’s works, with six world premiere recordings.

The centerpiece of the album is Balance of Power, a three-movement, 19-minute work commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in honor of the 95th birthday of Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State. The National Symphony Orchestra premiered Balance of Power at the Kennedy Center in September 2021. The recording also features Fanfare for Tomorrow, commissioned and premiered by the U.S. Marine Band at the inauguration of President Joseph Biden, in a new orchestral version.

The album includes two works originally commissioned and recorded by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as the Cincinnati Pops: Rolling River (Sketches on “Shenandoah”), a setting of the American folk tune, and In the Cause of the Free, on the theme of Veterans Day. Additional works include Curtain Raiser, an exuberant opener; Elegy for English horn, harp and strings; Fanfare, Hymn and Finale, originally commissioned for the 220th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Band; and Radiance, a string orchestra work composed especially for this recording.

“It was truly a thrill to record this new album of my music with the London Symphony Orchestra, one of the world’s greatest orchestras,” said Boyer. “Speaking as both a composer and conductor, one could not ask for a finer or more versatile ensemble. The glorious sound of the LSO has been part of my life since I was young, both through their work on iconic film scores including Star Wars and so many others, and through their incredible legacy of recordings.”

This is Boyer’s third album in the Naxos American Classics Series, following his GRAMMY-nominated Ellis Island: The Dream of America with the Philharmonia Orchestra, and his Symphony No. 1 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Boyer stated: “I’m delighted to have my work included again in a series which features many of the greatest American composers—from Copland, Gershwin, Barber, Bernstein, Ellington, and Ives to contemporary giants such as Adams and Corigliano. It’s certainly meaningful to be in such musical company.”

Recorded at London’s Henry Wood Hall with more than 90 musicians, the album was produced by Simon Rhodes, Senior Engineer at Abbey Road Studios and four-time GRAMMY winner, whose credits include some 200 film scores for composers including John Williams, James Horner, and Thomas Newman.

Boyer’s debut recording as composer/conductor was with the LSO at Abbey Road Studios in 2001, for The Music of Peter Boyer, originally released by Koch International Classics. After more than twenty years, tracks from that recording continue to be broadcast widely on American classical radio.

Photos by Benjamin Ealovega

Order the CD here.

Peter Boyer Featured at BMI

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This month BMI features Peter Boyer’s story about his career as a composer, interviewed here by Deirdre Chadwick.

Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America continues to find new audiences as its message about the essence of what makes America so profoundly unique and great resonates even more today than when it was written in 2002. It has been performed over 200 times by nearly 100 orchestras, and was recently featured on PBS’ Great Performances, with the Pacific Symphony.