Mary Elizabeth Bowden

Mary Elizabeth Bowden is a trumpeter appearing as soloist with the Amarillo Symphony in a program marking America's 250th anniversary. She performs Jeff Scott's trumpet concerto "Athena" alongside works by Adams, Reich, Brittany Green, and Copland, in a concert built around new and modern American orchestral music.

Listeners coming to hear Bowden should expect a program centered on contemporary American writing for trumpet and orchestra. The centerpiece, Jeff Scott's "Athena," is a modern concerto, so expect a soloist navigating extended technique, wide dynamic range, and a give and take with the orchestra rather than a strictly old-world showpiece. Surrounding works, John Adams' propulsive "Short Ride in a Fast Machine," Steve Reich's interlocking "Duet for Two Violins & Strings," Brittany Green's "Testify!," and Copland's Symphony No. 3, place her performance inside a broader survey of American orchestral voices across the last half century, from minimalist pulse to open, brass-forward Americana textures that suit the trumpet's carrying tone.