Peter Boyer's "Ellis Island: The Dream of America"--Prologue

Prologue from the GRAMMY®-nominated work "Ellis Island: The Dream of America" by composer Peter Boyer, for actors and orchestra with projected images. Boyer's work celebrates the historic American immigrant experience, by combining the real words of actual American immigrants--chosen from the Ellis Island Oral History Project and read by actors--with his original, sweeping orchestral score. The historic photographs come from the archive at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, and are used by courtesy of the Museum. In performance, these photographs are projected in synchronization with the live orchestra, and this Prologue precedes the actors' immigrant monologues, during which the orchestra provides accompaniment.

This promotional video illustrates that marriage of music and image, using the recording of Boyer conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, with actors Barry Bostwick, Blair Brown, Olympia Dukakis, Anne Jackson, Bebe Neuwirth, Eli Wallach, and Louis Zorich. The recording was released by Naxos, the world's leading classical record label, in its American Classics series, and nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition in 2006. Boyer's work has been performed nearly 100 times by more than 45 orchestras, and the work has been broadcast on hundreds of radio stations, including on National Public Radio's "SymphonyCast." For more information, visit http://www.PropulsiveMusic.com.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Ellis Island
• Peter Boyer
• classical music
• immigration
• American immigration
• Statue of Liberty
• Emma Lazarus
• The New Colossus
• American history
• American composer
• patriotic music
• Philharmonia Orchestra
• Naxos
• Barry Bostwick
• Blair Brown
• Olympia Dukakis
• Anne Jackson
• Bebe Neuwirth
• Eli Wallach
• Louis Zorich

[belllatrix4ever]

i saw this played live in bass hall like 2weeks ago. it was awesome

[PiscaCPT]

Bravo! Cheers from Brazil

[autum1515]

amazing and inspirational!

[THxMCRxLOVER]

oh thats so cool

[airmage112]

@THxMCRxLOVER Tennessee

[THxMCRxLOVER]

william penn in delaware. wheres brentwood

[airmage112]

@THxMCRxLOVER BHS (Brentwood High). You?

[THxMCRxLOVER]

@airmage112 oh thats really cool what school do u go 2?

[airmage112]

@THxMCRxLOVER My marching band did too. My grandparents came over from Poland so I understand when you mean that this piece is very much close to your heart. It is also to mine.

[THxMCRxLOVER]

i love this peice of music and inturlude 2 because ellis island is close to my heart. my grandmother came over from italy and i feel like my marching band show this year is honored to her