When the Utah Symphony’s 2023 Deer Valley Music Festival kicks off June 30 with Patriotic Pops, music-lovers will celebrate the world premiere of “Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue,” composed by Peter Boyer.
The piece is a culmination of the Rhapsody Initiative created by Jeffrey Biegel, the concert’s Juilliard School-trained pianist. Individual tickets are currently on sale for the Deer Valley Festival concerts, including the June 30 performance.
Biegel established the Rhapsody Initiative, a national campaign to recruit symphony orchestras from all 50 states to support and perform “Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue,” based on the first 50-state project he created in 2000. The new project is meant to celebrate the centennial of “Rhapsody In Blue,” which was written in 1924 by George Gershwin for bandleader Paul Whiteman.
“I had been thinking about how to celebrate the centennial since 2017, and a couple of years later I started thinking about getting out a new piece, and I came up with this title, ‘Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue,'” Biegel said. “I felt the country needed to join hands through music, despite all the divisions and differences. So I thought, why not celebrate being an American and celebrating ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ with a new ‘Rhapsody.”
The pianist approached a string of composers, and decided on Boyer, whom he had wanted to work with for a while.
“I thought this might be the right one, and proposed the idea to him in early December 2019,” Biegel said.
Once Boyer agreed to compose, Biegel began raising money for the composer’s fee. Then COVID-19 shut down the world.
Instead of getting discouraged, Biegel spent the next year completing the fundraiser through the American Composers Forum nonprofit.
“They have been my right arm throughout the years, and they are the conduit of funds from donors,” he said.
With the funds in the account, Biegel decided to use “Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue” as a way to resurrect an initiative concept he had worked on in 2000 while laboring to premiere Ellen Taafe Zwilich‘s new work, “Millennium Fantasy,” the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Biegel set up The Millennium Project as a way for orchestras across the country to perform the Zwilich work. All they needed to do was help with the commissioning fee.
A total of 27 orchestras agreed, and become part of the performing consortium, he said
“Two months later, I got the bug again, but wanted to change it a little bit,” he said. “I wanted to do the first, 50-state project, but I didn’t want orchestras to pay any commission fee for composers.”
Biegel’s idea proved successful with his Concerto America Project he did for composer Charles Strouse, who is known for writing the music for Broadway productions “Annie” and “Bye, Bye Birdie,” as well as the 1970s TV sitcom “All in the Family.”
While Biegel raised the money, press releases were sent to every orchestra in the country to see if they would like to be involved. Then 9/11 put a stop to things.
“I called Charles and said I couldn’t do it,” he said. “I decided not to pursue getting all 50 states involved with the project.”
Still, “Concerto America” premiered with a performance by the Boston Pops, and a few months later, the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, formerly the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra came on board, according to Biegel.
While deep in the pandemic, Biegel thought about the Millenium and Concerto America and other projects he had done, and decided to do the Rhapsody Initiative, if only to help symphony orchestras which were coming out of the lockdown.
“Many had suffered loss of money and other setbacks,” he said. “So I thought the idea would be a generous incentive for orchestras to join hands together and celebrate our diversity through our unity. And little by little other orchestras began to join.”
Before the Utah Symphony climbed on board in January, 41 orchestras — which play at different levels — from 38 states had joined the consortium.
“We have a youth orchestra on board, and we have a number of community orchestras as well,” he said. “I’m also working with some universities as well.”
Currently 41 orchestras from 38 states are involved in the project, according to Biegel.
“I’d love to get all 50 states onboard by June 30,” he said. “This is something much greater than ourselves. I tell composers that this isn’t about me, and it’s not about them. This is about working together to help bring new music to the repertoire for future generations.”