December 16, 1893: Dvořák’s New World Symphony premiers in America

Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International

This weekend will mark 130 years since Czech composer Antonín Dvořák’s famous “New World Symphony” premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The symphony was written during Dvořák’s time as director of the National Conservatory of America from 1892-1895, and documents his journey to America, while also expressing the longing he experienced for his home country. In the months leading up to the world premiere of the New World, the Dvořák family spent the summer of 1893 in a small town called Spillville in Iowa, where the composer also wrote other works. The Billy Clocks museum, which stands to this day in Spillville, commemorates their stay with musical paraphernalia.

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