Pauline Adamek
MUSE/IQUE TO CLOSE 2026 SEASON WITH AMERICAN SOUND TAKES FLIGHT: A MUSICAL JOURNEY FROM AARON COPLAND TO PAUL SIMON
Featuring Grammy Award Winner Brandon Victor Dixon, Liv Redpath and the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra
MUSE/IQUE is bringing its 2026 season to a soaring finale this October with American Sound Takes Flight: From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon — Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness, an electrifying exploration of the sounds, artists and ideas that helped define American music.
Presented in partnership with The Wallis and Classical California, American Sound Takes Flight takes audiences on a musical journey through the evolution of a distinctly American sound — one born from experimentation, cultural collision and a willingness to break from tradition.
At the center of the story is composer Aaron Copland, whose departure from the conventions of European classical music helped usher in a new musical language rooted in the people and places of America. His work reflected the people and places around him, opening a door for generations of artists who would continue to blur the boundaries between classical music, folk, theater and popular culture.
Copland’s groundbreaking approach opened the door for generations of artists to blend classical traditions with the sounds of their own time, giving rise to an extraordinary musical lineage that stretches from Leonard Bernstein to Paul Simon, Rhiannon Giddens and far beyond.
From “Simple Gifts” to “American Tune,” American Sound Takes Flight digs into the stories behind the music and the surprising connections that link seemingly different eras, genres and artists. The result is a celebration of an American musical tradition that is as diverse, restless and democratic as the country itself.
The program features Grammy Award winner Brandon Victor Dixon, acclaimed soprano Liv Redpath and the MUSE/IQUE Orchestra.
For MUSE/IQUE, the season finale is more than a concert. It is an invitation to hear American music differently, to follow the threads connecting composers, folk traditions, popular music and the artists who transformed them, and to experience how a distinctly American sound continues to evolve.
American Sound Takes Flight: From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon — Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness will take the stage at The Wallis in Beverly Hills October 23 through October 25, before the organization opens its doors for its annual community celebration, the MUSE/IQUE Open House, at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena on October 28, 2026.
MUSE/IQUE’s 2026 SEASON FINALE: American Sound Takes Flight: From Aaron Copland to Paul Simon — Our Musical Pursuit of Happiness
October 23, 2026 – 7:30 p.m.
The Wallis
9390 N Santa Monica Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
October 24, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Wallis
9390 N Santa Monica Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
October 25, 2:30 p.m.
The Wallis
Premium RSVPs only
9390 N Santa Monica Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
MUSE/IQUE ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE
MUSE/IQUE’s Open House is FREE to attend to the public. RSVP required and first come, first served.
The MUSE/IQUE Open House is free and open to the public, with an RSVP required. The annual event is MUSE/IQUE’s way of throwing open its doors and thanking the community that makes its work possible. Guests are encouraged to bring family, friends, neighbors and anyone curious to experience MUSE/IQUE and learn more about its community programs and the people it serves.
October 28, 7:30 p.m.
Ambassador Auditorium
131 S St John Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91105
American Sound Takes Flight marks the culmination of MUSE/IQUE’s 2026 season with a celebration of American music in all its complexity, creativity and contradiction — and a reminder that the American sound has never stood still.
For tickets, membership and RSVP information, visit MUSE/IQUE.
