norman lebrecht
February 14, 2026
Sponsored post:
This Friday, Music Director Kedrick Armstrong leads the Oakland Symphony
and Chorus in “To These Shores” at The Paramount Theatre in Oakland. The
concert features music of four who were welcomed to America and found haven
to express themselves in their music.
On the program: Chen Yi’s Introduction, Andante & Allegro, Reena Esmail’s “She
Will Transform You,” the Adagio from Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 10, and
the world premiere of a new work by Daniel Bernard Roumain: “America, To
US.”
In considering this concert in the present context, Kedrick observes “Everyone
who has dealt with the journey of coming to America and making America home
has faced difficult, unbearable moments. But those moments have led to the
beauty that we all live in. Hope to live in. And aspire to live in now.”
Chen Yi’s piece pays tribute to her Chinese background. Reena Esmail’s work
combines her Indian heritage with Western classical music. Written for choir and
orchestra, it pays tribute to the women of migration who have traversed over so
much to create a home here in America.
Mahler completed only the first movement of his Tenth Symphony. It tells a story
of grief and the journey of the soul after it has left the body. The premiere of
Daniel Bernard Roumain’s work, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony,
features Tracy Silverman on electric violin, a narrator, and invites members of the
Oakland community to join the Orchestra on stage to share their perspectives on
their journey to America, and what it means to call America home.
THIS FRIDAY (February 20) at 8:00pm, the Oakland Symphony at The
Paramount (2025 Broadway, Oakland).
Tickets priced for all. Slipped Disc readers can enjoy a 25% discount on all
other priced tickets with this promotional code: DISC022026
OAKLAND SYMPHONY
Kedrick Armstrong, conductor
Tracy Silverman, violin
Oakland Symphony Chorus
Zach Salsburg-Frank, interim chorus conductor
CHEN YI Introduction, Andante, and Allegro
GUSTAV MAHLER Symphony No. 10, Adagio
REENA ESMAIL She Will Transform You
DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN America, To US
World Premiere – Oakland Symphony Commission