# Event Details - **Event Name**: Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls - **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 07:00 pm – Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 08:30 pm (-07:00) - **Event Description**: The American classical canon, 250 years in the making — performed and narrated live. Don't miss this rare musical journey!About this EventOf Reminiscences & ReflectionsA Festival of American Music | Century RollsOpportunities to explore the American classical canon in depth are rare — rarer still to have a knowledgeable narrator on hand to guide the journey. Century Rolls offers both. Led by promising young conductor John Turner and performed by members of the Centaurus Ensemble, this narrated concert traces 250 years of American classical music — from the era of the Revolution to our first native-born composers, and on through the trailblazers who are shaping the art form today. Along the way, audiences will discover how American composers have wrestled with the great themes of our national life: freedom, identity, struggle, and possibility. Intimate, illuminating, and unlike any concert you've attended, Century Rolls offers a rare window into the musical spirit that has always run alongside — and sometimes ahead of — the American story.AgendaBillings: ChesterInfo: William Billings: Chester (1778) William Billings was America's first significant composer, a self-taught tanner from Boston whose music bristled with the spirit of revolution. Chester began as a hymn but became one of the most popular patriotic songs of the Revolutionary War, sung by soldiers in the Continental Army. Bold, defiant, and utterly American, it is the perfect opening note for this journey.Black SpiritualInfo: Black Spiritual The African American spiritual is one of the most profound and original contributions to the American musical tradition — born of suffering, sustained by faith, and shot through with a longing for freedom that speaks across centuries. (Program details to be confirmed.)Chadwick: String Quartet No. 4, Mvt. 1Info: George Chadwick: String Quartet No. 4, Movement 1 (1896) George Chadwick was one of the leading figures of the so-called Second New England School — American composers who had trained in Europe but were determined to forge a distinctly American voice. His Fourth String Quartet is among his finest works, and the first movement announces itself with confidence and craft, reflecting a composer fully in command of his art and his ambitions.Ives: Scherzo for String QuartetInfo: Charles Ives: Scherzo for String Quartet (c. 1903-1914) Nobody sounds like Charles Ives, and nobody pushed American music further into uncharted territory. This brief, mercurial Scherzo is vintage Ives — playful, unpredictable, and quietly subversive, with the kind of wit that catches you off guard. It is a reminder that the most radical American composer of his era was also one of the most entertaining.Still: The Prince and the MermaidInfo: William Grant Still: The Prince and the Mermaid (1971) William Grant Still — the "Dean of African American Composers" — spent a lifetime bridging the worlds of classical music, jazz, and the African American experience. The Prince and the Mermaid is a late work, lyrical and imaginative, that reflects Still's gift for melody and his belief that music should speak directly to the heart. It is one of the program's most immediately accessible and beautiful offerings.Rochberg: String Quartet No. 3, Mvt. 1Info: George Rochberg: String Quartet No. 3, Movement 1 (1972) George Rochberg's Third String Quartet caused a sensation when it appeared in 1972 — not least because Rochberg, a committed avant-gardist, had turned his back on modernism and embraced tonality, melody, and the legacy of the great Romantic composers. The first movement is by turns lyrical and intense, a deeply personal statement from a composer who had lost his son and found his way back to music that could express grief and consolation. It marked a turning point not just for Rochberg but for American music.Glass: String Quartet No. 3, Mvt. 5Info: Philip Glass: String Quartet No. 3, Movement 5 (1985) Philip Glass's Third String Quartet was written for Paul Schrader's film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, a portrait of the brilliant, troubled Japanese author Yukio Mishima. The quartet movements accompanied the film's childhood flashback scenes, shot in monochrome, and carry a wistful, sometimes carefree quality that sets them apart from Glass's more austere works. Freed from the screen, they stand beautifully on their own. The fifth movement, Blood Oath, brings the quartet to a powerful close.Adams: Canticles of the Sky, Mvt. 3Info: John Luther Adams: Canticles of the Sky, Movement 3 — "Sky With Nameless Colors" John Luther Adams has spent much of his life in Alaska and the American Southwest, and the natural world is the animating force behind everything he writes. Canticles of the Sky draws from his larger work Canticles of the Holy Wind and evokes the extraordinary skies of the Sonoran Desert — their depth, their clarity, their nameless colors. The sixteen choral parts of the original have been condensed into the string quartet, creating textures that are lush, continuous, and quietly overwhelming. It is music that makes you feel the sky above you.Richardson: ArrowheadInfo: Sid Richardson: Arrowhead (2019) Sid Richardson's Arrowhead, for violin and viola, was premiered at the Tanglewood Music Center in 2019 — one of the most prestigious launching pads in American music. Richardson's work is known for its emotional depth and its exploration of the intersections between music, literature, and lived experience, drawing on modern idioms in ways that feel both innovative and deeply felt. Arrowhead is a welcome introduction to a distinctive and promising American voice.Cholodenko: Sounds and Sweet AirsInfo: Cholodenko: Sounds and Sweet Airs The title comes from one of Shakespeare's most luminous passages — Caliban's description of the enchanted island in The Tempest: "The isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not." It is a speech about the mysterious power of music to transport us, to console us, to make us "cry to dream again." As the closing work on this program, it feels exactly right — a meditation on what we have just heard, and why music matters. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/jackson/of-reminiscences-and-reflections-|-festival-of-american-music-|-century-rolls/100001988452595240 - **Event Categories**: entertainment, music, art, festivals, literary-art, music-festivals, concerts, live-music, health-wellness, fine-arts, meditation, jazz - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Jackson - **state**: MS - **country**: United States - **location**: St. Philip's Episcopal Church - **lat**: 32.3707258 - **long**: -90.1297562 - **full address**: St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 5400 Old Canton Road, Jackson, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events8/banners/74da01c172403d85ce142f3c61223b2d8e697f5fc94174126e6368ba573a0c4f-rimg-w1200-h1855-dc011547-gmir.jpg?v=1777628830 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls being held? - **A:** Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls takes place on Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 07:00 pm to Wed, 27 May, 2026 at 08:30 pm at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 5400 Old Canton Road, Jackson, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls? - **A:** Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls is organized by The Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls is ideal for live music fans, concert-goers, and anyone who enjoys unforgettable performances from their favorite artists in an electric live atmosphere. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Jackson, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Of Reminiscences & Reflections | Festival of American Music | Century Rolls", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events8/banners/74da01c172403d85ce142f3c61223b2d8e697f5fc94174126e6368ba573a0c4f-rimg-w1200-h1855-dc011547-gmir.jpg?v=1777628830", "startDate": "2026-05-27T19:00:00-07:00", "endDate": "2026-05-27T20:30:00-07:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/jackson/of-reminiscences-and-reflections-|-festival-of-american-music-|-century-rolls/100001988452595240", "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "St. Philip's Episcopal Church", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "5400 Old Canton Road", "postalCode": "39110", "addressLocality": "Jackson", "addressRegion": "MS", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "32.3707258", "longitude": "-90.1297562" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "The American classical canon, 250 years in the making — performed and narrated live. 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What began as a doctoral project has grown into one of the region's most beloved musical institutions, shaped over the last 24 years by the vision and artistry of Music Director Wayne Linehan, who transitions to the role of Conductor Emeritus beginning with the 2026-2027 season. MCO's next chapter will be led by Dr. Darryl Harris.The orchestra presents three free concerts each year — in the fall, winter, and spring — and each May hosts a benefit concert that brings in guest conductors and musicians for adventurous programming that explores newer, lesser-known works and frequently celebrates American composers.MCO is open to amateur and pre-professional instrumentalists in the community who share a love of classical music — a reminder that great music-making doesn't require a professional stage, only passion and dedication." } ] } ] ```