The Conway Symphony Orchestra will present “American Portrait: A Concert of Unity” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, in Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas.

Tickets range from $20-$40 and are free for all UCA students, courtesy of the UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication, as well as students in K-12 who are enrolled in a music program. Tickets are available at the box office, 501.450.3265 or at ConwaySymphony.org.

The program opens with Aaron Copland’s iconic “Fanfare for the Common Man,” which features the brass and percussion sections of the Conway Symphony. It will continue with Albert Markov’s “Porgy” Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra alongside guest artist Min Yen Chien on violin. 

The concert will also include Gershwin’s jazz-influenced piece, “An American in Paris,” before closing with Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” which will feature a special guest narrator.

Acclaimed as one of the foremost musicians of today, Min Yen Chien came from a family of medical and musical eminence in Nantou, Taiwan. He started playing the violin at age 7 and became a protégé of Raphael Hillyer, violist of the Juilliard String Quartet. Min Yen’s great interest in medicine and science brought him to the University of Arkansas College of Medicine, where he enrolled as a medical student from 1982–86. Recently, Min Yen began exploring the relationship between the violin and the muscular-skeletal system. He is committed to studying injury prevention of muscle overuse or misuse.

Preceding the concert from 6:45-7:15 p.m. the symphony will offer a guest lecture from Jane Dahlenburg, associate professor of music history. She received a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and taught at UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC-Greensboro before moving to Arkansas. She has taught courses at UCA ranging from Renaissance graduate seminars to the history of Broadway and rock and roll.

This concert also features an art contest and an essay contest for local fifth through 12^th grade students. Entries can be submitted at P.O. Box 1307, Conway, AR  72033, or the UCA box office. Selections are asked to base their entry around the question “How can our nation with its diverse population achieve unity?”

Finally, this concert also offers the chance to donate non-perishable food items through Orchestras Feeding America. Bring your items to the concert and they will be collected in the lobby. All donated items will be shared with local food banks.

The Conway Symphony is dedicated to bringing professional concerts, exciting guest artists and high quality music to the Central Arkansas community. For more information on concerts and other programs, visit ConwaySymphony.org or call 501.269.1066. “American Portrait: A Concert of Unity” is sponsored by First Security Bank.