Music appreciation has never had a better teacher than Rachael Worby, Artistic and Music Director of the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra, whose insights into the history and artistic patterns of music are shared with appreciative audiences during each of the group’s amazing concerts. Their 2026 season titled “Where the Heart is: 250 Years of American Music and Innovation” ended with American Sound Takes Flight: From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon – Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on October 23 and 24. The performances featured singers Liv Redpath (a leading soprano quickly establishing herself in diverse operatic and symphonic repertoire around the world) and Brandon Victor Dixon (a Grammy Award winner who has also been nominated for an Emmy and 3 Tony Awards), with the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra led by Worby.
Through composer Aaron Copland’s ability to fold in new genres, he uncovered a new American sound that celebrated all its people. His artistic vision gave birth to trailblazing artists – everyone from Leonard Bernstein to Paul Simon, Rhiannon Giddens to Prince, and beyond – who were spoken about in great detail by Worby as selections of their music were brilliantly performed by the talented MUSE/IQUE Orchestra and guest performers.
Proving that music is a universal right and need for all people, Rachael Worby shared the history behind the creation of our diverse American Sound beginning with Copland’s well known main theme of “Hoe-Down” from Rodeo, which is based on a unique version of the American folk song “Bonaparte’s Retreat” played by Salyersville, Kentucky fiddler William Hamilton Stepp, known as “Fiddley Bill.” Worby shared a 1937 recording of him performing his folk song, which was incorporated quite intact into Copland’s score, proving that great American music can come from anywhere. Another example was shared with “All the Pretty Little Horses,” a traditional folk lullaby with African American roots that was passed down orally, so its authorship remains anonymous. Copland’s 1952 arrangement was performed by symphonic soprano Liv Redpath accompanied by a quartet of MUSE/IQUE musicians.
The history of American music mentorship from Aaron Copland to Leonard Bernstein to John Williams was a revelation. Selections from Bernstein’s seminal American musical West Side Story, including the main theme performed by the orchestra and “There’s a Place for Us” performed with Redpath, showcased how music from the streets of America by those in search of happiness made its way to Broadway and into music history around the world.
Dixon’s rousing rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” was the perfect follow-up. The song was inspired by various events in Cooke’s life, most prominently when he and his entourage were turned away from a whites-only motel in Louisiana in 1964 even though they had advance room reservations. Cooke felt compelled to write a song that spoke to his struggle and of those around him. The song also pertained to the Civil Rights Movement taking place in the streets of America at the time, where participants of all races joined in the cause for freedom and equality. MUSE/IQUE then performed selections from the innovative opera Omar by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels,which won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Based on theLife of Omar Ibn Said, the only known memoir written by an enslaved person in America, Omar explores themes of strength, resistance, and faith.
Then it was on to modern American music, rooted in the storytelling style introduced by Copland. Up first was Paul Simon’s “Mrs. Robinson” after which Worby shared an interesting story of what happened when Joe DiMaggio met Simon in a New York diner and asked about the lyric mentioning his name. Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” which was also a hit for Whitney Houston, again shone a brilliant light on Liv Redpath’s astounding voice.
Brandon Victor Dixon brought down the house with his rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain,” which became an international hit by the entertainer born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Audience members were invited to sing along, which many did very enthusiastically. “Perhaps the color of America should be purple,” Worby quipped, as the stage was bathed in the color.
Lastly, honoring the legacy of Quincy Jones and Ray Charles, “America the Beautiful” was performed as an appropriate American anthem to end the entertaining evening of glorious music and educational exploration about the artists featured in American Sound Takes Flight.
On Wednesday, October 28 at 7:30pm, MUSE’QUE held its annual Free Open House at the Ambassador Auditorium, 131 South St. John Avenue, Pasadena, California 91105 to thank its audience for their ongoing support and introduce their programs to the public free of charge, with advance reservations recommended. Members shared their love for MUSE/IQUE with their families, friends, and neighbors during the event, with information available about MUSE’IQUE’s Education and Community programs directly from their partners: AbilityFirst that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families, with programs that foster joy and fulfillment, and Cowboy Poetry LA that hosts workshops and blends original & classic cowboy poems with music.
On November 2 at 1 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center, 85 East Holly Street in Pasadena 91103, MUSE’IQUE will hold an informal hour of music and conversation wrapping up the 2026 season themes, featuring music and stories from the group’s Quincy’s World: The New Founding Father of American Music event held in March 2026. Reservations recommended at pasadenaseniorcenter.org.
The 2026 MUSE/IQUE Season After Party on November 15 is a major donor private celebration featuring Rachael Worby and the MUSE/IQUE musicians in an exclusive cabaret show of Respect: Celebrating the Power of Women in Music, with dinner, drinks, and networking for top-tier supporters.
For general information about MUSE’IQUE, email in**@*******ue.com or call 626-844-7703. For membership information, email me********@*******ue.com or call 626-539-7085. For upcoming event and company information, visit muse-ique.com/