SC composer shares hometown inspiration in A Charleston Concerto

By Bradley Fuller

Published January 5, 2022 at 4:43 PM EST

South Carolina composer and College of Charleston School of the Arts dean Edward Hart — Edward Hart, standing outside the SC Public Radio studios, holds the score to A Charleston Concerto

Ahead of his work's January 7th premiere, Edward Hart explains how he hopes to evoke the Lowcountry's checkered past and promising future through music.

In this Sonatas & Soundscapes interview that aired Wednesday, January 5^th, South Carolina composer and College of Charleston School of the Arts dean Edward Hart offers insights into his new work, A Charleston Concerto. As Hart shares with host Bradley Fuller, the three-movement work for string quartet and orchestra draws on the complex history and vibrant culture of the SC Lowcountry.

The Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet will premiere Hart’s concerto alongside the Charleston Symphony Orchestra under Ken Lam on Friday, January 7^th, at the Charleston Gaillard Center. Joining A Charleston Concerto for the January 7^th and 8^th concerts is Adolphus Hailstork’s Fanfare on “Amazing Grace” and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36. More information about the concerts can be found on the Charleston Symphony website.

The Charleston Symphony Orchestra is a supporter of South Carolina Public Radio.