Conductor Lonnie Klein has put together a new ensemble – the Festival Orchestra de Las Cruces – to present a special concert for this 250th anniversary year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The “Red, White, and Blue All-American” concert will feature pianist Ilya Yakushev in George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and Third Judicial District Attorney Fernando Macias narrating Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait.
Klein told Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin in this interview that there were numerous composers to choose from but he settled on music by Gershwin, Copland, John Williams, and Leonard Bernstein, in addition to an arrangement by Calvin H. Custer of several traditional American folksongs.
During Klein’s tenure as conductor of the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, he brought Ilya Yakushev twice to perform with the orchestra, and the Russian pianist has also performed here in chamber music concerts. “He loves it here, and when I approached him – and I had talked about doing a concerto – he said, ‘well, Lonnie, we have to do Rhapsody in Blue. We just have to do it.”
Klein also reached out to DA Fernando Macias to be the narrator for Lincoln Portrait, which incorporates excerpts from some of Lincoln’s writings, including the Gettysburg Address, into the music. “I wanted kind of a local celebrity – someone well-respected, great voice, great presence, and I just thought of him,” Klein said. “He’s very dedicated and so excited to be performing with the Festival Orchestra.”
Listen to the interview to hear more about the music that will be performed. The concert is Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 at 3 p.m. at the Atkinson Recital Hall.
Musical clips:
• Rhapsody in Blue, by George Gershwin. Jon Nakamatsu performing with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jeff Tyzik (Harmonia mundi cd #807441);
• Lincoln Portrait, by Aaron Copland. Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwartz (Delos #3140).
• Summon the Heroes, by John Williams, with Williams conducting the Boston Pops Orchestra (Sony #89434).
