Which jazz-influenced orchestral piece did Walter Johannes Damrosch conduct the world premiere performances of?
An American in Paris An American in Paris is a jazz-influenced orchestral piece by the American composer George Gershwin, written in 1928. Inspired by the time Gershwin had spent in Paris, it evokes the sights and energy of the French capital in the 1920s and is one of his best-known compositions.
Ragtime (I) Ragtime (I) is the second of three ballets made by New York City Ballet's co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to Igor Stravinsky's 1918 "Ragtime for Eleven Instruments"; with scenery by Robert Drew previously used for Lew Christensen's 1947 work for Ballet Society, "Blackface"; costumes by Karinska and lighting by David Hays. The premiere took place on December 7, 1960, at City Center of Music and Drama, conducted by Robert Irving, as part of a quartet of works titled "Jazz Concert", together with dances by Todd Bolender's "Creation of the World", Francisco Moncion's "Les Biches" and John Taras' "Ebony Concerto". Balanchine's 1966 "Ragtime (II)" was also made for City Ballet; his previous ballet to Stravinsky's "Ragtime" was one of a number of "informal little things" made in St. Petersburg in 1922.