The Delaware Symphony Orchestra (DSO) returns to Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park to cap off Wilmington’s Independence Day festivities with a celebratory concert of American music, followed by the traditional fireworks display over the Christina River.
The city’s July 4 celebration kicks off at Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park at 12:30 p.m. with local bands, food vendors, children’s games, tours of the Kalmar Nyckel and other family-themed activities. The symphony performance will begin at 8 p.m., followed by a spectacular fireworks display at about 9:30 p.m.
Other events will take place along the Riverfront throughout the day, including Riverboat Queen and River Taxi cruises, and live music at Constitution Yards.
“We are very pleased that the Delaware Symphony Orchestra will again be part of our annual Fourth of July commemoration,” said Mayor Mike Purzycki. “Families and friends from across the city and around the region are in for a special musical treat as we come together as Americans on this birthday for our nation. Bring a chair or a blanket and enjoy a wonderful, fun-filled day and evening along the river.”
The program will feature music by American composers, including Dudley Buck, Aaron Copland, John Philips Sousa and John Williams.
In tribute to the 100th anniversary of the great Leonard Bernstein, the DSO will also perform selections from “West Side Story.” The program will be capped off by a work synonymous with outdoor summer concerts in the United States but composed by a Russian: Piotr Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” complete with several of the “Bells of Remembrance.”
“It is the DSO’s honor to be invited to participate, once again, in Wilmington’s Independence Day celebration,” said Alan Jordan, the DSO’s executive director. “This will be the first summer outdoor appearance by the orchestra in six years, and we hope this will re-institute the tradition. Wilmington can rejoin other great cities around our country that bring their community together with great music, fun and, of course, fireworks!”
More information on this program and the DSO season is available at delawaresymphony.org.
