George Bristow at Carnegie Hall: A Belated Premiere, Heard at Last

Leon Botstein conduction the American Symphony Orchestra

As I complete work on a documentary film about George Frederick Bristow, nearing its release, last Friday marked a remarkable moment in New York: the long-awaited premiere of Bristow’s Fifth Symphony, The Niagara, finally heard at Carnegie Hall. The concert, presented by the American Symphony Orchestra under Leon Botstein, crowned a week-long Bristow celebration that included conferences and conversations at Lincoln Center, The Century Association, and the CUNY Graduate Center.

“Musically backward? The United States of America? We are the country that gave the world Dudley Buck and George Frederick Bristow!” — David Wright, New York Classical Review

Early critical responses have been generous and thoughtful. New York Classical Review described the evening as a “belated but meaningful revival,” noting how the program invited listeners to reconsider a formative moment in American musical history. Writing for OpeningNight.online, the reviewer emphasized the coherence of the program and praised Bristow’s symphony as a work of “ambition and expressive breadth,” firmly situated within the larger question of American musical identity. Theater Pizzazz highlighted the ASO’s ongoing commitment to “bringing neglected American repertoire back into public consciousness.”

Katherine Preston, Leon Botstein, Montes-Bradley, Doug Shadle and John Grazziano

For me, the evening carried an added layer of meaning. This performance is closely tied to the documentary film project on Bristow that I am currently completing, supported by the Documentary Film Fund, The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, and the Alma and Morris Schapiro Fund. Seeing The Niagara finally reach the stage—more than a century after its creation—felt like a quiet vindication of the questions that first drew me to this story.

The film itself will be screened at The Century Association on March 25, continuing this conversation across disciplines and forms. If last week’s premiere is any indication, Bristow’s music still has much to say—if we’re willing to listen.