Immersed in Immigration

With immigration a frequently contentious topic in the news, Rachel Waddell, the University's director of orchestral activities, made the Symphony Orchestra's most recent concert an interactive showcase exploring the topic. The pieces chosen both revolve around the subject of immigration. Dvořák’s popular “New World Symphony” takes cues from African-American and Native American music, and Cole Porter's “Within the Quota" is in response to the legislation leading up to and including the Immigration Act of 1924, including the Emergency Quota Act, following an imagined "Immigrant #13."

For this concert, the Symphony Orchestra is joined by dancers with the University of Rochester's Program of Music and Dance, with the leadership of director Missy Pfohl-Smith. The dancers used platforms throughout the audience's seating area to present their choreography intrepreting themes in Porter's work. A map was also made available for concertgoers to mark the country of their own ancestor's origins.

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