The concert will protest the outsized influence that corporations and the billionaire class hold over the U.S. government and call on elected officials to work for the American people. We will donate a portion of ticket proceeds to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation in support of its efforts to defend the civil rights of those most vulnerable to government overreach.

Music Director Michelle Rofrano will lead the ensemble in a program that explores themes of resistance, workers’ rights, and government corruption. Beethoven’s fiery Overture to Egmont captures the spirit of triumph over oppression and taking a stand for a noble cause. Soloist Reuben Kebede makes his PROTESTRA debut with Coleridge-Taylor’s stunning Violin Concerto in G minor, a nod to the Coleridge-Taylor family’s fight for stronger protections and fair compensation for composers. The concert’s finale transforms Petrushka, Stravinsky’s ballet about a Russian puppet master and his puppets, into a timely critique of U.S. government leaders who cater to oligarchs, autocrats, and corporate interests at the expense of the 99%.