Nearly 50 years after its 1977 world premiere, Leonard Bernstein's Songfest receives its Tennessee premiere in its entirety with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Rarely performed as a complete work, the 12-song cycle brings together six vocal soloists, orchestra and the words of 13 American poets spanning three centuries.

Originally commissioned to celebrate the United States Bicentennial, Songfest became Bernstein's wide-ranging exploration of American life and identity through poetry. Although the composer did not complete the work in time for 1976, it premiered the following year at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with Bernstein conducting the National Symphony Orchestra.

The texts draw on the work of poets including Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Edgar Allan Poe, e.e. cummings, Edna St. Vincent Millay, June Jordan and Julia de Burgos. Their varied perspectives explore the complexities of American experience, with Bernstein drawing on an equally broad musical vocabulary.

The work features six vocal soloists who perform individually and in various combinations throughout the cycle, supported by an orchestra that includes less conventional instruments such as electric keyboard and Fender bass.

For Music Director Aram Demirjian, Songfest provided the inspiration for a season-long exploration of the relationship between poetry and music.

“Songfest is really where the idea of exploring American poetry throughout this season began,” Demirjian said. “It brings together poetry that reflects a breadth of perspectives on the American experience, encompassing a wide range of backgrounds and identities.”