Trail of Tears Premiere Draws Rave Reviews—and Mini SMTD Reunion

March 2010

Michael Daugherty’s flute concerto Trail of Tears, with Amy Porter as soloist, premiered with the Omaha Symphony on March 26, to rave notices. “The concerto could not have had a more auspicious debut,” says World Herald staff writer John Pitcher. “Daugherty has written a piece that is both audaciously contemporary and appealingly romantic” with “drop-dead gorgeous melodies.”

Pitcher went on to say, “Porter tossed off fiendishly difficult passages as if they were child’s play and performed lyrical passages with heart-rending emotion.” (Read full review.)

As it turns out, it was also the occasion for an unexpected SMTD reunion. Bill Ritchie, MM ’77 (double bass), who studied with Lawrence Hurst, writes “We just had a great visit from Amy and Michael for the world premiere of the flute concerto Trail of Tears.” Along with Ritchie, assistant principal bass of the Omaha Symphony, other U-M alumni who performed that night include K. Craig Bircher, MM ’81 (trumpet), associate principal trumpet and former student of Armando Ghitalla; Ernest Richardson, MM ’84 (viola), the symphony’s resident conductor, who studied viola with Donald McInnes and conducting with Samuel Krachmalnick and Gustav Meier; and Rico Amador, violinist and personnel manager for the Omaha Symphony, who also studied at the School. To make the circle complete, SMTD’s own Stephen Shipps is the former concertmaster of the Omaha Symphony.