VSO Summer Festival Tour in Grafton July 3

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3 at the Grafton Trails and Outdoor Center, 783 Townshend Road in Grafton. Please bring blankets or folding chairs; gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking.

The 2024 Summer Festival Tour, titled Symphony of Stars, will feature solos by three orchestra members.

This concert will celebrate Independence Day and the summer season with patriotic classics. In addition, audience members young and old alike will enjoy the Musical Petting Zoo, an interactive display with instruments from the orchestra’s string, brass and percussion sections. A fireworks display will conclude the musical program.

The following are some of the selections to be performed:

• The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key
• Xylophonia by George Green, arr, Cahn. An upbeat orchestral piece with a wondrous xylophone solo featuring D. Thomas Toner (VSO Principal Percussion).
• Élégie for Cello and Orchestra. Orchestrated by Gabriel Fauré in the 1880s, this piece,  featuring John Dunlop (VSO principal cello), boasts a somber opening and intense climaxes.
• ET: Adventures on Earth by John Williams. Take a trip down memory lane with this orchestral classic from the renowned film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
• Matt’s Tune, ballad for orchestra. A stunning orchestral ballad from accomplished Vermont composer Erik Nielsen.
• Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by Frank Ticheli. A collection of ever-changing movements with a profound focus on solo clarinet, featuring Kelli O’Connor (VSO Principal Clarinet).
• Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa. The program concludes with the official National March of the United States of America.

Click here to purchase advance tickets: $28 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 17. Gate prices are $35 and $5, respectively. Smoking and animals, other than service and assistance animals, are not allowed.

In case of rain, the concert will be held at Horowitz Performing Arts Center at Vermont Academy, 23 Leavitt Lane, Saxtons River.