The Cape Symphony Orchestra presents Be Ours Tonight: Elvis and the Symphony at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, May 10, 2026 at 3:00 PM.

Download a printable version of these Program Notes.

THE CAPE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Bryan English, Guest Conductor
Patrick Dunn, Vocals

 
This roster lists the musicians performing today’s concert, and is subject to change.
Cape Symphony’s official roster, including recognition of our musician chair supporters, is here.

BE OURS TONIGHT: ELVIS AND THE SYMPHONY

A Tribute to the King
Arr. Ted Ricketts

2001 Intro
Richard Strauss, Orch. Bryan English

See See Rider
Ma Rainey, Arr. Richard Maslove

Burning Love
Dennis Linde

Heartbreak Hotel
Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden; Arr. Maslove

It’s Now or Never
Wally Gold, Aaron Schroeder

Always on My Mind
Johnny Christopher, Mark James, Wayne Thompson

All Shook Up
Otis Blackwell

One Night
David Bartholomew, Pearl King

Bridge Over Troubled Water
Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel

If I Can Dream
Walter Earl Brown, Arr. Matt Podd

INTERMISSION

Prelude to Act 2
Bryan English

Blue Suede Shoes
Carl Perkins

A Little Less Conversation
Mac Davis, Billy Strange; Arr. Lindberg

Love Me Tender
George Poulton, Arr. Vera Matson

My Way
Claude Francois, Jacques Revaux; Arr. Figueiredo

Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel
Kal Mann/Otis Blackwell

In The Ghetto
Mac Davis, Arr. Maslove

Amazing Grace
John Newton, Arr. English

Hound Dog
Jerry Lieber, Mike Stoller

Jailhouse Rock
Jerry Lieber, Mike Stoller, Arr. Maslove

Suspicious Minds
Mark James, Arr. McKenzie

An American Trilogy
Mickey Newbury, Arr. McKenzie

Can’t Help Falling in Love
H. Peretti, L. Creatore, G.D. Weiss; Arr. McKenzie

ABOUT TODAY’S PROGRAM

Elvis Presley grew to superstardom from humble Mississippi beginnings and the gift of a guitar for his 11^th birthday in 1946. Drawing from gospel, country, and rhythm and blues traditions, he transformed American popular music forever. His distinctive voice, good looks, and magnetic stage presence were a full-on cultural phenomenon by the late 1950s. “Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the 20^th century,” said Leonard Bernstein in 1966. “He introduced the beat to everything, and he changed everything—music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new social revolution.” Today, we’ll relive the magic.

Bryan English and your Cape Symphony Orchestra put us instantly in Elvis Presley’s musical world with A Tribute to the King, a lively collage of familiar riffs and hooks. Then, the thunderous opening of 2001 fills the hall—the same dramatic cue that built anticipation to a near breaking point before Elvis took the stage in his Las Vegas years. Here comes the award-winning Patrick Dunn, and away we go!

See See Rider, first recorded by blues legend Ma Rainey, was a staple of Presley’s live shows. It’s an earthy, driving nod to the musical traditions he absorbed in Memphis. That energy carries into the urgency and rhythm of the 1972 hit Burning Love.

Eerie and desolate, Heartbreak Hotel (1956) was Presley’s first chart-topper and announced a new, grittier voice in rock and roll. Across the Atlantic, young John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, and others all felt a thrill. Needless to say, music was forever changed.

By contrast, It’s Now or Never (1960), inspired by the Neapolitan O Sole Mio, shows off a lyrical, romantic style. Swoon!

Traveling through the decades, we’ll visit Always on My Mind, the famous portrait of regret that Elvis recorded in 1972. The bouncy exuberance of 1957’s All Shook Up feels almost weightless by comparison. One Night follows, blending blues origins with mainstream pop appeal. Its original title, “One Night of Sin,” had to be scrapped to satisfy the record label’s 1957 sensibilities.

Presley’s version of Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water transforms a gentle ballad into something almost gospel in scale. If I Can Dream, written after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, channels grief into soaring hope to close our program’s first half.

INTERMISSION

Prelude to Act 2 resets the stage, leading into the rockabilly spark of Blue Suede Shoes (1957), all attitude and forward motion: Go, cat, go! A Little Less Conversation (1968) adds swagger and a more modern rhythmic bite.

Presley’s romantic side comes through in a different palette. Love Me Tender, adapted from a Civil War-era melody, is disarmingly simple and sincere.

My Way was a 1970s Elvis concert staple, and Pat Dunn does it justice on the Cape Symphony stage. Then we’ll lighten the mood with Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel, a pairing that balances charm and rhythmic snap.

In the Ghetto (1969), a stark narrative ballad that stands apart for its direct social commentary, is followed by Amazing Grace, a sacred standard that reconnects with Presley’s lifelong grounding in gospel music.

Our final stretch captures the full force of Elvis’s stage persona. Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock deliver humor, swagger, and a beat that won’t sit still. Suspicious Minds (1969), Elvis’s last  number-one single, laments a mistrusting relationship, and An American Trilogy weaves multiple melodies into a sweeping theatrical statement.

Can’t Help Falling in Love (1961) brings our concert to a close. Gentle, direct, and instantly recognizable (it’s still played for the first dance at many a wedding), this song served as Presley’s own farewell onstage—a tender conclusion that lingers long after the final note.

Thank you for attending today’s concert.
We hope you had a wonderful time and that we’ll see you again soon.

BEHIND THE SCENES

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director of Concert Operations
Patrick Gallagher

Stage Manager
Kimberly Monteiro

Assistant Stage Manager
Brendan Gallagher

Lighting Designer
Kendra Murphy

Stage Crew
Jay Ivanof
John Bishop

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Joe Marchio

BOX OFFICE
Rebeka Broitman, Supervisor
Eleanor Fothergill

HOSPITALITY COORDINATOR
Charlotte Baxter

LIBRARIAN
Victoria Krukowski

MANAGING ARTISTIC PRINCIPAL
Jae Cosmos Lee

PERSONNEL MANAGER
Wesley Hopper

USHER SUPERVISOR
Betty Morse

Cape Arts & Entertainment Staff and Board of Trustees

The Cape Symphony Orchestra’s CapePOPS! series is sponsored by Cape Cod 5.

SUPPORT YOUR CAPE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Concert ticket sales cover only part of the cost to maintain a professional orchestra on Cape Cod. Generous donations and community support make the difference.

Donating is easy, online at www.capesymphony.org/donations or by mail to Cape Symphony, 2235 Iyannough Road, West Barnstable, MA 02668. Thank you!

Program Notes by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. References include biography.com, elvisthemusic.com, graceland.com, and time.com.