Rhythms of Resilience: A Jubilant Celebration of the Contributions of African American Composers
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra performs a free concert at CNU’s Ferguson Center for the Arts.
HAMPTON ROADS, VA [August 18, 2026] The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is proud to present Rhythms of Resilience, a free concert on August 29, 2026 at CNU’s Ferguson Center for the Arts. Presented by the American Music Collective (AMC250) and the National Endowment for the Arts, this concert is in recognition of America’s 250th and the annual African Landing Commemoration at Fort Monroe. VSO Principal Guest Conductor and Norfolk native Thomas Wilkins will conduct the concert.
“I am truly honored to be a part of this project,” says Wilkins. “The program represents the incredible diversity and richness of our creative spirits and subsequent artistic endeavors, spanning many generations.
Contemporary composer James Lee III’s “Fanfare for Universal Hope”, which premièred last year with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, will open the evening. “I was inspired by the current social and political climate of our country and world,” Lee explained in an interview with SLSO before its première. African American composers highlighted throughout the program include William Grant Still, William Dawson, Adolphus Hailstork, and Florence Price. The program will also include sacred choral works by Richard Smallwood, Moses Hogan, and Duke Ellington’s symphonic jazz suite, “Harlem”.
The concert will feature soprano Symone Harcum and the AMC250 Unity Chorale. Harcum was featured last summer during the VSO’s “Opera & Oz” Summer Concert Series and previously seen as Donna Anna in Virginia Opera’s 24/25 production of Don Giovanni.
Rhythms of Resilience will be presented August 29, 2026, at 7:30PM at the Ferguson Center for the Arts, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, VA 23606. Additional support is provided by Freedom Forward, VA250, and the Ferguson Center for the Arts. The concert is free to attend, but registration is required. Learn more at virginiasymphony.org/event/rhythms-of-resilience/
