Antonín Dvořák was born in 1841 in a small village north of Prague. He spent his early career as a violist in the Prague National Theatre orchestra while composing in relative obscurity. His breakthrough came in the mid-1870s when Johannes Brahms, serving on a jury for an Austrian state stipend, recognized Dvořák's talent and became his champion, helping him gain international recognition. Dvořák's composed prolifically in nearly every genre and achieved enormous success both in Europe and during his celebrated stay in America from 1892 to 1895, where he served as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York.
We will first hear his "Dumky" Trio, Op. 90 performed by several faculty of the West Texas A&M University School of Music faculty including Dr. Sarah Rushing on piano, Manny Lopez on cello and Evgeny Zvonnikov on violin. Then we will hear Aubrey Oliverson's performance of his Violin Concerto, Op. 53 alongside the Amarillo Symphony on the second half of the program.
