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With the moon shining on the Great Lawn, the stars came out Wednesday night for a reflective and stirring program featuring New York’s Orchestra of St. Luke’s conducted by Eric Stern and several distinguished guests. The performances capped a day of commemorative musical events marking the September 11 anniversary across the five boroughs, including the Brooklyn Philharmonic performing in Prospect Park, the Bronx Arts Ensemble in Van Cortland Park, the Queens Symphony Orchestra at Flushing Meadows Park, and the Staten Island Symphony at Snug Harbor.

An affirmative, patriotic strain ran through the evening’s symphonic selections, highlighted by an inspired rendition of Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, with Meryl Streep narrating the stentorian verses honoring Abraham Lincoln. Other selections included Bernstein's "Simple Song" (from Mass) with tenor soloist Kurt Ollman, a selection from Hanson's Symphony No. 2, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, featuring piano soloist Andre-Michel Schub.

The jazzy mood set in place by Gershwin continued as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra took to the stage with a hard-swinging reading of Ellington’s “A Tone Parallel to Harlem.” Receiving the biggest applause was a grizzled yet animated Billy Joel who performed his signature tune, “New York State of Mind,” with the LCJO’s Wynton Marsalis joining him on trumpet.

The program was framed by two patriotic standards, America the Beautiful and God Bless America, both beautifully performed by the Stuyvesant High School Concert Chorus under the baton of Holly Hall. With these, the cumulative effect of the evening's program was one not only of remembrance and consolation, but celebration of New York City's resilience.

Read the New York Times Overview of the day's musical commemorations.