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

Bring the family to enjoy a wonderful evening of music by the lakefront. 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. It features 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
Gould: American Salute
LeFrak: American Promise (Illinois Premiere) (Tim Rhoze, narrator)
Rodgers: Carousel Waltz
Ives: Variations on America
Anderson: The Typewriter (Brian Kabat, typewriter)
Price: “Nimble Feet” from Dances in the Canebrakes
Copland: Lincoln Portrait (Tim Rhoze, narrator)
Williams: “Main Title” from Star Wars