The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) returns to World's Fair Park for the 28th Annual FREE Pilot Independence Day Concert complete with popular patriotic tunes, classical favorites, an salute to the Armed Forces and a fireworks finale. The performance, conducted by KSO Music Director Lucas Richman, will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 4 on the South Lawn of World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville. This event is part of the City of Knoxville's Festival on the Fourth.
Music for the evening will include The Star Spangled Banner; John Williams' Midway March; James Horner's Titanic; Lucas Richman's A Western Fanfare; the traditional Salute to the Armed Forces, Rocky Top, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and more. The concert will conclude with Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever and a spectacular fireworks display. The concert and fireworks display will be broadcast live on WBIR-TV 10 beginning at 8:00p.m.
Guest artists for the concert will be Natalee McReynolds and Alex Temple Ward. Both performers will play leading roles in the Clarence Brown - KSO collaboration of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street beginning August 30th with Mr. Ward as Anthony and Ms. McReynolds as Johanna.
Ms. McReynolds, originally from Knoxville, is a second year Masters student in Vocal Performance at the University of Tennessee. She has performed in several productions in Knoxville, including Le Nozze di Figaro and The Medium with University of Tennessee Opera Theatre. She will open Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit) with Wordplayers in mid-July.
Mr. Ward, a Knoxville native and upcoming junior at the University of Tennessee, is pursuing two bachelor's degrees in Vocal Performance and Vocal Music Education. He as performed as Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro, Leaf Coneybear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with the Clarence Brown Theatre, Link Larkin in Hairspray with the Oak Ridge Playhouse. He will he will be playing the role of Joe Hardy in Oak Ridge Playhouse's production of Damn Yankees, opening July 6.
Join the KSO on Twitter during the performance. The Twitter hashtag for the concert is #ksojuly4. KSO will Tweet information about the pieces performed, the composers, weather emergencies and more interesting bits of information.
The KSO is proud to team with Pilot Flying J, the City of Knoxville, WBIR-TV and the News Sentinel for Festival on the Fourth bringing to the Knoxville community an entire afternoon and evening of family festivities. Activities begin at 2 p.m. and include food vendors, craft booths, bands and activities for children.
The KSO has contributed to the cultural life in East Tennessee since 1935. Beginning his tenth year of leadership with the KSO is Music Director Lucas Richman. The orchestra consists of more than 80 professional musicians and performs more than 200 programs throughout East Tennessee each season. Performing in traditional venues such as the Tennessee Theatre, Bijou Theatre and the Civic Auditorium, and in non-traditional places like hospitals, school classrooms, city parks and churches, the KSO reaches more than 200,000 people throughout the region each year.