The old saying that music is a universal language has never been more relevant than it is in today’s globalized, yet increasingly factious world. Each of the pieces on tonight’s stylistically wide-ranging program relates in one way or another to the unifying theme of music without borders. In the words of composer Derrick Spiva Jr., “Through learning music of other cultures, I believe that the opportunity for dialogue—rather than conflict—between strangers is opened, and we can become a society with less conflict due to cultural misunderstanding.”

The program might equally well have been titled “new music for an interconnected world,” the motto adopted by Bridge to Everywhere, the musical collective that Spiva directs in Los Angeles. Just as Kareem Roustom’s Dabke for String Orchestra bridges the worlds of Syrian and Western music, so too does Gaspar Cassadó’s Suite for Solo Cello blend the idioms of folk and art music. Shostakovich’s searing Chamber Symphony celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity no less than Joel Thompson’s Caged Bird, the stirring protest song “Glory” from the 2014 film Selma, and the traditional South African devotional song “Ndikhokhele Bawo.” Terence Blanchard’s Dance for a New Day and Spiva’s a vision unfolding: “Anthems of a Crowd” Part I—both receiving New York premieres—envision a hopeful future built on diversity and mutual respect.