La Societe Philharmonique Concert in New Orleans

New Orleans, LA – The Historic New Orleans Collection and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra presents "Identity, History, Legacy: Free People of Color in Louisiana, La Societe Philharmonique," WWNO's Paul Maassen spoke with the HNOC's Alfred Lemmon about the historical context of this concert.
This is the fifth installment of "Musical Louisiana: America's Cultural Heritage." The popular concert series is presented this year in conjunction with The Collection's upcoming exhibition, "In Search of Julien Hudson: Free Artist of Color in Pre-Civil War New Orleans," and the sixteenth annual Williams Research Center Symposium, "Identity, History, Legacy: Free People of Color in Louisiana."
The performance will feature music that was performed by La Societe Philharmonique, a mid-nineteenth century orchestra composed of free men of color. Under the direction of guest Conductor Thomas Wilkins, musical highlights include Giaochino Rossini's Overture to Semiramide and Jean-Delphin Alard's La Traviata (Fantasy for Violin and Piano, op. 38). Following a typical program of this orchestra and its contemporaries, a dramatic reading will also be presented Victor S jour's "La Retour de Napol on (The Return of Napoleon)," written after S jour watched Napoleon's remains brought back from St. Helena through the streets of Paris.