It is natural for Americans familiar with Dvořák’s Symphony “From the New World” to wonder about its American elements.  Can the mere presence of diversity in itself make a symphony great?

Join us for this lecture by Dr. John K. Novak is an associate professor of music theory at Northern Illinois University.

Dr. Novak has a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was awarded the John Maresh Scholarship in Czech Culture. He has numerous published articles on Dvorak and other composers and has presented at symposiums and conferences in various U.S. cities as well as London, Prague, Brno and Sofia. More on Novak.

Dr. Novak will consider the “New World Symphony” within the historical context, focusing on the attempt by this nineteenth century Czech composer steeped in central European national, cultural and artistic ideas to create an American musical identity based on American literary and ethnic influences.

This event is part of the program, “Whose World? Dvorak’s New World Symphony.”  This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council and with support from Blessing Health System, Advance Physical Therapy, Encore! Symphony Volunteer Council, the Stillwell Foundation, the Community Foundation of the Quincy Area’s Arthur O. & Lela B. Lindsay Fund and Green-Humphrey Family Fund for Music, the Tracy Family Foundation, the Marion Gardner Jackson Trust, the business and individual members of the Quincy Society of Fine Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Illinois General Assembly.

Other events in this program series: Dvořák’s New World in Context and Beyond the Score® – Whose World?.

For more information, please call (217) 222-2856 or visit www.qsoa.org.