Explore the Festival
Fresno Philharmonic
The Fresno Philharmonic, now in its 69th season, is one of the leading arts organizations in California’s Central San Joaquin Valley. As Fresno’s professional symphony orchestra, the Fresno Philharmonic presents incomparable live musical experiences to thousands of people each season and provides high quality music education programs to students throughout our region. The orchestra is an essential and collaborative member of a vibrant arts scene which unites, delights, and engages a diverse community.
*Programming and artists subject to change, please refer to the participating organization’s calendar listing for the most up-to-date program.
Events
California Festival
Anna Clyne’s DANCE, written for cello soloist Inbal Segev, was inspired by lines from the 13 th
century Persian poet Rumi. George Antheil’s A Jazz Symphony was one of the first American
works to fuse jazz and classical music, while Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, a work of
extraordinary rhythmic vitality, was famously described by Richard Wagner as “the apotheosis
of dance.”
Piece(s)/Composer(s)
DANCE (2019)
Anna CLYNE
Performance video credits:
Written by Anne Clyne
Program Notes
Anna Clyne’s 2019 composition DANCE was premiered at the Cabrillo Festival with soloist Inbal Segev. Dedicated to the composer’s father, the work takes its title and inspiration from a poem by the Persian poet and mystic Rumi. Each of the five movements of the work are also titled from lines of the poem: 1. “when you’re broken open” 2. “if you’ve torn the bandage off” 3. “in the middle of the fighting” 4. “in your blood” 5. “when you’re perfectly free.”
Described as a “composer of uncommon gifts and unusual methods” in a New York Times profile and as “fearless” by NPR, GRAMMY-nominated Anna Clyne is one of the most in-demand composers today, working with orchestras, choreographers, filmmakers, and visual artists around the world. Clyne was named the 8 th most performed contemporary composer in the world and the most performed living female British composer in 2022.
The Fresno Philharmonic’s November concert program highlights the theme of dance by pairing Clyne’s DANCE with George Antheil’s A Jazz Symphony, a 1920’s composition which was one of the first American works to fuse jazz and classical music. The concert concludes with Beethoven’s energetic and rhythmically vital Symphony No. 7 in A Major. This concert is part of the Fresno Philharmonic’s season-long exploration of the intersection of jazz and orchestral music including works by Poulenc, John Adams, Guillaume Connesson and George Gershwin.
Performances
Fresno Philharmonic: DANCE