Music is almost always influenced by popular culture, whether it adopts those influences or opposes them. In the 20th century, classical musicians in the United States didn’t always know how to cope with its sprawling, multiethnic, rhythmically charged music. Some American composers kept Europe firmly in view, either clinging to its 19th-century aesthetics or pushing into modernist abstractions. Others like Aaron Copland and Steve Reich embraced the swirl.

Our title American Flow is a nod to the concept of “flow” in hip-hop, where the rhythmic placement and patterning of words define a rapper’s style. It also symbolizes the mixture of genres that proliferated in the US, along with the complex historical contradictions that created them. The river of American culture flows into thousands of tiny tributaries, and never just from one source. Sō Percussion’s role in this branching landscape is to experiment with its elements—to find and create new kinds of music.

Tonight’s composers and featured artists float between the worlds: Bryce Dessner through his band The National, Michael J. Love as an ambassador of the tap dance art form, Caroline Shaw through her collaborations with artists such as Rosalía, and Kendall K. Williams through his engagement with the steel band tradition.