Thursday, August 27
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Registration Required Below
Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with an evening of Americana — a musical journey through the sounds and stories of our nation’s artistic heritage — and Redding’s unique place in that story.
Join us as two international and celebrated performers, Pianist Madeline Xu and Bassoonist Nathan Shepherd journey through melodies of our nation’s musical heritage, shining a special light on two legendary figures who once called Redding home: Charles Ives and Leonard Bernstein. From Ives’ inventive reimagining of patriotic melodies to Bernstein’s iconic West Side Story, this music celebrates the many voices that have shaped America’s musical identity.
Following the performance, there will be a reception featuring a selection of wines from different regions around the United States.
Our Performers
Madeline Xu has toured as a solo pianist across much of the world, including the United States, Russia, China, the Philippines, and many other countries. Beginning piano at age 4, her daily practice of 5 to 6 hours paid off, as conductor Vladimir Lande invited her to play with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra in Russia as a concerto soloist at just age 9 and was subsequently invited to perform with the Krasnoyarsk Symphony Orchestra and the Volgograd Symphony Orchestra. Madeline now attends NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences as an economics major, and she studies piano with Eduardus Halim, Vladimir Horowitz’s last pupil.
Nathan Shepherd is a Greene Foundation fellow at The Juilliard School, where he studies bassoon with Judith LeClair. A sponsored artist for Moosmann Bassoons, Nathan has been featured as a concerto soloist with the Louisville Orchestra and Columbia Orchestra. He also joins the Albany Symphony, Florida Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Symphony in C as a guest performer. In high school, Nathan was a winner of the national Young Arts competition and was featured on NPR’s From the Top Radio Show. In early 2026, Nathan founded Noteable, a nonprofit education program bringing his Juilliard colleagues to teach music in New York City’s underserved schools.
The Allen and Helen Hermes Arts Series was founded in 2003, and is funded by a generous gift the couple donated to the Mark Twain Library. The mission of the series is to enrich the quality of life in the community of Redding by producing and supporting events in the visual, literary, theater and musical arts.