THE CLASSIX SERIES

AMERICAN MASTERS: COPLAND, GERSHWIN & PRICE

Saturday & Sunday
October 11 & 12, 2025

7:30 PM | Doors 6:00 PM
4:00 PM | Doors 2:30 PM


The Reno Phil opens the 57th season of Classix with some of the most celebrated American composers - Gershwin, Copland, and Price. In the pursuit of artistry, pianist Michelle Cann brings her breathtaking virtuosity to the irrepressible jazz rhythms of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, which garnered immediate acclaim for breaking the boundaries between classical and jazz. Even more than 100 years later, it has still not lost its luster. This beloved work is the centerpiece of a journey through America’s musical heartland that also features the long-lost Piano Concerto by pioneering African American composer Florence Price—a jazzy, soulful masterwork Cann has championed since its remarkable rediscovery. Begrudgingly known as the “Dean of American Composers,” Copland’s well-known works will bookend the concert.  

Michelle Cann is represented by Curtis Artist Management at Curtis Institute of Music. 

ON THE PROGRAM

Aaron Copland Fanfare for the Common Man 
Florence Price Piano Concerto (in One Movement) 
George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue  
Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring: Suite  

LAURA JACKSON
CONDUCTOR

MICHELLE CANN
PIANO

Tickets for 2025-26 Classix Series concerts at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts can only be purchased at this time as part of a Classix 6-concert subscription package. 

Single tickets for the 2025-2026 Season go on sale August 4, 2025 at 10:00 AM. For information on group rates, or other ticket discounts, please click here.

INTERESTED IN A PARTNERSHIP, SPONSORSHIP, OR UNDERWRITING OPPORTUNITY?

Contact Evelyn Klatt, Chief Development & Marketing Officer at eklatt@renophil.com


MICHELLE CANN, PIANO

Lauded as “exquisite” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and “a pianist of sterling artistry” by Gramophone, GRAMMY Award winning pianist Michelle Cann is one of the most sought-after artists of her generation. Recent engagements include appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her honors include the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award. In 2024, she was named the inaugural

Christel DeHaan Artistic Partner of the American Piano Awards, responsible for artistic oversight of the competition. Highlights of Cann’s 2024-25 season include appearances with the San Francisco Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, and London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. She performs solo and collaborative recitals on prominent series such as the 92nd Street Y, New York; Duke University; the Royal Conservatory of Music; and Shriver Hall Concert Series. She also performs a recital as the headline artist at the National Conference of the Music Teachers National Association. Recognized as a leading interpreter of the piano music of Florence Price, Cann performed the New York City premiere of Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement with The Dream Unfinished Orchestra in 2016. Her recording of the concerto with the New York Youth Symphony won a GRAMMY Award in 2023 for Best Orchestral Performance. She won a GRAMMY Award in 2025 for Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price, recorded with soprano Karen Slack, which features 19 unpublished songs composed by Price. Her acclaimed debut solo album Revival, featuring music by Price and Margaret Bonds, was released in 2023. Cann holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and an Artist’s Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music. She joined the Curtis piano faculty in 2020 as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in Piano Studies. She is also on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.


LAURA JACKSON, CONDUCTOR

An eloquent and articulate artist on and off the podium renowned for her dynamic leadership‭, ‬energetic performances‭, ‬and progressive vision‭, ‬American conductor Laura Jackson is praised for her innovation‭, ‬passion‭, ‬and commitment to the continued growth of‭ ‬the symphonic repertoire and expanding music’s impact within communities‭. ‬Having served as the fourth Music Director and Conductor of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra‭ (‬Reno Phil‭) ‬since 2009‭, ‬her contract has been unanimously renewed through the end of the 2028-2029‭ ‬season‭, ‬ensuring that diverse‭, ‬compelling repertoire‭, ‬and creative community programming will continue through the organization’s 60th anniversary‭. ‬A 21st century conductor at home with repertoire from every era‭, ‬Jackson is recognized for her championing of new music‭, ‬her creativity with commissions‭, ‬and her commitment to mentoring and encouraging the next generation of musicians‭, ‬composers and women conductors‭. ‬She is in her third season as an official mentor to emerging women conductors across the globe in the Taki-Alsop Foundation’s Fellowship program‭. ‬With the Reno Phil‭, ‬she also partners with the Davidson Institute in Reno‭, ‬Nevada to feature their instrumental fellows in concert‭. ‬A frequent guest conductor‭, ‬she has led distinguished ensembles across the United States‭, ‬Canada‭, ‬France‭, ‬Poland‭, ‬Czech Republic‭, ‬Algeria‭, ‬and China‭, ‬and her relationships with orchestras continue to expand‭. ‬

A champion of living composers‭, ‬Laura Jackson created the Reno Philharmonic’s Composers in Residence initiative and has commissioned and presented several world premieres‭. ‬She has led over 50‭ ‬Reno Phil premieres and multiple Western U.S‭. ‬premieres‭. ‬Under her leadership‭, ‬the Reno Phil has expanded its community and education programs to include the Composers in Residence‭, ‬Conduct Us‭, ‬movies with live orchestra performances‭, ‬the annual Play for a Day‭, ‬and the youth orchestras have expanded from three to four ensembles‭. ‬Additionally‭, ‬live streaming of concerts was introduced in 2020‭. ‬www.laurajackson.net‭ ‬

  • *Not ready to attend in person? Purchase an access link for our livestream or video-on-demand and enjoy the concert from the comfort of home!

    How to View the Livestream Concert

    One day before the concert, ticketholders will receive an email with a link to the video. We recommend you access the link at least 10 minutes before the concert begins. If you do not receive a link, please check your spam & junk folders before contacting the box office. Livestream FAQ & SUPPORT.

  • Parking

    Patrons have several options for parking near the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. We recommend the following:

    Metered parking (pay Monday-Saturday 9am – 6pm; free evenings after 6pm and on Sundays)

    The open parking lot across from the Washoe County Court House (free on evenings and weekends). The entrance is located on Court St, between Virginia and Sierra St.

    The parking lot attached to Nevada State Bank (ONLY available free in the evenings and on weekends)

    Directions

    Directions from I-580 via Mill Street

    Take exit 66 for Mill St.

    -395 Northbound: exit 66 and turn left at Mill St.

    -395 Southbound: exit 66 and turn right at Mill St.

    Follow Mill St. about 1.5 miles

    Turn left on Lake St.

    Turn right on Court St.

    The Pioneer Center will be on your right

    Directions from I-80 via Virginia Street

    Take exit 13 for Downtown Reno/Virginia St.

    -I-80 Eastbound: exit 13 and turn right at N. Virginia St.

    -I-80 Westbound: exit 13 and turn left at N. Virginia St.

    Follow Virginia St. about 1 mile (cross the Truckee River).

    The Pioneer Center will be on your left

  • The Reno Phil’s community partners donate rooms for out of town musicians, food for events and many other needs. Without their generosity, we would not be able to provide the community with world-class, innovative music performances. We greatly appreciate their contribution to the performing arts, as well as helping keep the costs of concerts reasonable for our ticket buyers. If you’re coming from out of town and plan to stay in Reno after the concert, please consider reserving a room with one of our hotel partners.

    We hear from our partners that enjoying a good meal makes our concerts sound better. You should test that theory and let us know! Please consider dining with one of these supporting restaurants before or after a concert. And say thanks for us, too.

    Dining

    Beaujolais Bistro
    Washoe Public House
    Centro

    Hotels

    Whitney Peak
    Renaissance