In 1892 Antonín Dvořák traveled from Prague to New York to direct the National Conservatory and during the following summer he journeyed deep into the American heartland for a meaningful sojourn of several months in Spillville, Iowa. To The New World tells the story of those experiences through a live performance of music connected to Dvořák’s journey accompanied by Gary Kelley’s evocative visual narrative.

The core of To The New World is Dvořák’s panoramic experience of America and especially Iowa – and how it affected his music and his feelings about his own homeland. Presented in three acts, To The New World showcases selections from the composer’s entire oeuvre, from Slavonic Dances and other Bohemian-inspired works to music connected to the composer’s stay in America including New World Symphony and American Suite.

To The New World is presented in complete theatrical mode, with the entire performance taking place alongside imagery. In addition to the standard presentation To The New World includes several special projects that can be folded into any booking: the show is available in an abridged version as a youth concert and incudes a classroom curricular guide and interactive art project; Gary Kelley’s zine introducing the story of Dvořák’s American journey can be printed in custom runs for sale or other distribution prior to or at concerts; Gary Kelley is available for appearances related to this presentation.

To The New World’s full-evening panorama of Dvořák’s American experience offered us a new set of technical and artistic challenges. According to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, “The project was highly successful and emotionally moving. The production of the artwork was astonishing — the images moved on screen in various directions, and through differing super-impositions. Technical director Jacob Meade deserves wholehearted praise for superlative creativity.”