George Gershwin - Cuban Overture, Rhapsody in blue, Rhapsody II for piano and orchestra.

In 2013, the University of Michigan set out an extensive project dedicated to George Gershwin, one of the most important American musicians of the first half of the 20th century, creator of pieces for orchestra, film music, concert works, piano scores, operas and musicals, the composer has revolutionized piano and orchestral writing by ingeniously combining jazz with classical music.

Accomplished in collaboration with the descendants of the great musician, who died in 1937, and with the publication Gershwin Critical Edition, "the project intends to publish clear and definitive scores of the musical text that accurately capture the unique creativity of the Gershwin brothers", according to the initiators. In this sense, the publishing team researched the original manuscripts and other existing sources, and in June 2023, based on the newly published scores, with pieces by George Gershwin, recordings took place at the Clarice Smith Arts Center in Maryland. They were performed by pianist Kevin Cole, the National Institute Philharmonic in Maryland and conductor David Alan Miller. Their album, which also includes contemporary creations by American composers Joan Tower and Steven Stucky, was released on February 9, 2024.

The pianist Kevin Cole is an acclaimed performer of North American classical music, having a special affinity for the creation dedicated to the piano by George Gershwin. The soloist has collaborated with over 100 orchestras, including the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Los Angeles and Hong Kong Philharmonics or the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Kevin Cole has a consistent discography and works as a musical director, composer, arranger and pianist, constantly presenting programs dedicated to composers Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Mervin Hamlisch and, of course, the Gershwin family. He was the first pianist in history to sing, in a single concert, as a soloist, all four works for piano and orchestra by George Gershwin.