Cultural Crossroads:
Dvořák in America

R. Carlos Nakai, Native flutist

Alexander String Quartet

Pamela Freund-Striplen, Narrator and Violist
Isola Jones, Soprano
Will Clipman, World Percussionist

“This was one of the absolute best performances I have ever seen.”
- Andrea A. Lunsford, Kronos Quartet Board Immediate Past Chair and
Former Director of Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University

Cultural Crossroads: Dvořák in America is a live concert experience that explores the Black and Indigenous influences on Dvořák during his time in America. The program weaves original Native American melodies and uplifting African American Spirituals along with Dvořák’s most beloved chamber music. Video clips and imagery add to this powerful multimedia experience. Cultural Crossroads: Dvorak in America with its stellar and diverse cast of musicians is a catalyst for audience engagement as it entertains, educates, and inspires, drawn from the curiosity of a Czech composer a century ago.

“I only wish there were more concerts that have this kind of powerful archetypal story to share.
We are living at a time where this is needed. The response from my community was
overwhelming. Almost to the person, people came up to me after the performance to share their
gratitude for bringing this ‘timely’, ‘historical’, and incredibly powerful musical production to them.
An experience that few of us will ever forget.”
-Susan Martin, presenter Gualala Arts Center

Immerse yourself in the sounds that inspired Dvořák’s most beloved chamber music. From uplifting African American Spirituals and songs by Florence Price to original Native American rhythms and melodies, you’ll hear why Dvořák famously asserted “in the Negro and Indian melodies of America I discover all that is needed for a great and noble school of music.” Cultural Crossroads interweaves Dvořák’s “American” Quartet and Quintet with these inspirational elements to create a vivid musical landscape. Bringing this story of the interconnectedness of cultures to life is the world’s premier Native American flutist, R. Carlos Nakai, the Alexander String Quartet, soprano Isola Jones violist Pamela Freund-Striplen and World percussionist Will Clipman.

“It was so timely of our political and cultural happenings... you created a sense of unity of the
world and cultures.”
-Yana Reznik

“I don’t think we’ve ever accomplished anything as far reaching or enduring, or engaging as the Cultural Crossroads presentation. There’s an access point for everybody. The reveal is so persuasive it’s just a privilege to perform it because of the integrity and quality of the research that has gone into it.”
-Sandy Walsh-Wilson, Alexander String Quartet, founder and cellist

Cultural Crossroads: Dvořák in America

“This was one of the absolute best performances I have ever seen.” - Andrea A. Lunsford, Kronos Quartet Board Immediate Past Chair and Former Director of Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University

“It was so timely of our political and cultural happenings... you created a sense of unity of the world and cultures.” -Yana Reznik

Cultural Crossroads:
Dvořák in America

“This was one of the absolute best performances I have ever seen.”
- Andrea A. Lunsford, Kronos Quartet Board Immediate Past Chair and
Former Director of Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University

“It was so timely of our political and cultural happenings... you created a sense of unity of the
world and cultures.”
-Yana Reznik