Karen LeFrak’s American Promise receives its Illinois premiere with narrator Tim Rhoze and the Evanston Symphony Orchestra.

This free concert, 7:00 p.m. Aug. 12, 2026, at the Wallace Bowl in Gillson Park, Wilmette, is an all-American program to celebrate the founding of the U.S. 250 years ago, featuring works pertinent to the anniversary by exclusively American composers. Bring a picnic to enjoy and your own chairs or you can sit on the semi-circular stone and grass seats.

Program

Morton Gould: American Salute
Karen LeFrak: American Promise (Illinois Premiere)
Tim Rhoze, narrator
Richard Rodgers: Carousel Waltz
Charles Ives: Variations on America
Leroy Anderson: The Typewriter
Brian Kabat, typewriter
Florence Price: “Nimble Feet” from Dances in the Canebrakes
Aaron Copland: Lincoln Portrait (Tim Rhoze, narrator)
John Williams: “Main Title” from Star Wars