What Makes It Great? with Rob Kapilow

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue

Clayton Stephenson, piano soloist

With the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra: Julius P. Williams, conductor

As the 100th Anniversary year of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue comes to a close, Rob Kapilow—author, pianist, composer, conductor, and NPR contributor—returns to highlight the rarely heard original version, written for piano and jazz big band. 

In this What Makes It Great? performance, Kapilow shares how Gershwin’s compositional choices set the work apart. In teaching audiences to listen to works, not simply hear them, he demonstrates how rhythmic, harmonic, and stylistic moments can defy expectations and delight audiences. Kapilow illustrates what made Rhapsody in Blue both an immediate sensation in its time and an enduring, era-defining piece of American art. 

American pianist Clayton Stephenson makes his Celebrity Series debut as soloist. According to Gramophone, Stephenson is "not just a remarkable virtuoso, but a poet, a dramatist and a master story-teller," and the up-and-coming young artist has a busy schedule of regional orchestra and recital appearances in 2024/25. His season spans the country, from several weeks in residence with the Hartford Symphony to a series of recitals in Maui and Kaua'i.

Thirty-three members of the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Julius P. Williams, make up the ensemble. The premier symphony at Berklee College of Music, the Orchestra performs traditional and contemporary music, intentionally choosing artists who represent a broad spectrum of humanity.

This performance is generously supported by
Amy & Joshua Boger.