School of Music: Copland’s Appalachian Spring

University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra explored the relationship between movement and music

Movement is inherent in the act of making music; yet, its impact is often overlooked in the orchestral setting. In 2014, Liz Lerman and the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra (UMSO) explored the relationship between movement and music in a fully choreographed performance of Aaron Coplan’s “Appalachian Spring.”

The choreography is influenced by American folk dance, the gestures musicians make while playing their instruments and the unmitigated sense of hopefulness in the music itself.

Recorded at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on May 4, 2014