The Wartburg Community Symphony will present “This Tender Land: An Iowa Tribute” in performances set for 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, in Neumann Auditorium.
Featuring the music of American composer Aaron Copland, the concerts are part of the WCS “American Tapestries” season, which celebrates the country’s 250th anniversary.
“Copland remains a pivotal force in creating what is known today as the quintessential American Sound,” said Rebecca Nederhiser, WCS conductor. “Music we equate with the Wild West and the open landscapes of the Midwest can all be traced back to his unique compositional style.”
The program will open with Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Premiered in 1943, it has become one of the country’s most recognizable works through myriad performances from concert halls to athletic arenas. Notable for the WCS Iowa tribute is that an Iowan, Henry Wallace, inspired the work’s title. As vice president of the United States in 1942, Wallace suggested that the century coming out of World War II should be called the century of the common man, and Copland took his words to heart.
The Wartburg Opera Workshop, directed by Brian Pfaltzgraff, will join the orchestra for Copland’s opera, “The Tender Land,” which tells the story of a Midwestern farm family and a young woman’s coming of age during the Great Depression.
“I know audiences will enjoy hearing Copland’s familiar American harmonies in ‘The Tender Land.’ And our local connections to Iowa legacy farm owners will bring a personal touch to the stage,” said Nederhiser, who recently presented her research, “Copland’s The Tender Land: An Iowa Tribute,” at the 2026 International Conductor’s Guild Conference in Dallas. The Neumann Auditorium lobby will feature displays of farmhouse memorabilia.
Nederhiser invites audiences to come at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, and 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, for a Beyond the Music preconcert conversation with Iowa legacy farm owners.
Concert tickets are available at the door with cash, check or credit card or online with credit card at wartburg.edu/symphony. Individual adult tickets are $20. Youth 18 and younger and Wartburg College students are admitted free. In case of inclement weather, Friday night’s tickets will be honored Saturday afternoon.
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