If U.S. Route 66 were a symphony orchestra, what would it sound like?
That’s a question Dr. Nolan Stolz, a South Carolina music professor and classical music composer, is answering as he explores the historic route, capturing the essence of the highway so he can put it to music.
The composition for symphony orchestras, to be performed in the 2025-26 season to celebrate the highway’s 2026 centennial, will contain eight movements, and be titled “ Route 66 Suite.”
But first, he’s got to do his research.
tolz, 41, who teaches at the University of South Carolina Upstate near Spartanburg, is taking a 15-month sabbatical, and spending 13 months traveling back and forth along the Mother Road between Chicago and Los Angeles.