As an ode to the country’s perseverance throughout the past year, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) today announced it will host a special, socially distanced America Strong concert at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on July 4, 2021. The one-night-only performance will feature more than 60 minutes of music from the highly regarded FWSO and world-renowned opera singers, all conducted by Miguel Harth-Bedoya in his final season with the orchestra.
The FWSO Board Chairman Mercedes T. Bass stated, “As the chairman of the FWSO board, I am so proud of how this organization has continued to perform live during this pandemic. The gift of live music continues to provide a healing power to communities during some of the most trying times. The America Strong 2021 concert will feature leading composers and opera singers who represent the very fabric of our country and join the orchestra in performing for a live, socially distanced audience. This is our gift to the Fort Worth community and beyond for showing such resilience over the past year of this pandemic. We invite all of you to join us at Dickies Arena on July 4 for this celebratory concert.”
“The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is delighted to be presenting and broadcasting our Fourth of July America Strong 2021 concert from Dickies Arena again this year after a record-setting broadcast in 2020,” said Keith Cerny, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. “We are particularly pleased to welcome Morris Robinson and Latonia Moore to Fort Worth. I’ve worked with these extraordinary singers in the past and am thrilled to bring them into the Fort Worth community for a concert celebrating the strength of our great country.”
The America Strong concert will feature prominent composers and musicians from across the globe. Beginning with John Stafford Smith’s “Star Spangled Banner,” patrons will be surrounded by a united spirit of patriotism and passion before moving to the brilliant “Lightspeed – Fanfare for Orchestra” by Texas Christian University’s own up-and-coming composer Kevin Day. While the rest of the program will remain under wraps until the day of the show, the FWSO crafted a lineup to bring together a diverse range of music, performers and composers for DFW to enjoy.
Latonia Moore, Texas-raised Metropolitan Opera star soprano, and Morris Robinson, world renowned opera bass and former All-American college football player, will join the FWSO for the America Strong concert to bring the world of opera into the symphonic performance. Both Moore and Robinson have performed with the world-famous Metropolitan Opera and are highly respected within the classical music industry. Works by leading Black and Latin American composers, including Kevin Day, Adolphus Hailstork, and Jimmy Lopez, will be featured on this program to create space for composers of color in America’s patriotic repertoire.
Similar to the FWSO’s 2020 America Strong performance, this year’s concert will be broadcast live by WFAA on Channel 8 on July 4, 2021. Check local listing for broadcast time.
For those wanting to attend the event in person, tickets will be available to the public beginning at 10:00 a.m. CT on April 26, 2021. All patrons will have to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster in pods of two, three or four seats, and pricing begins at $29.30 per person. To reserve your seat beginning April 26, visit Ticketmaster.com.
In an effort to keep all musicians, staff and patrons healthy and safe, the FWSO will implement the same guidelines it has enforced throughout its 2020-2021 season for the America Strong concert. Patrons will be required to wear masks throughout the performance, social distancing protocols will be enforced, and tickets will only be available on mobile devices.
For more information about the FWSO and its upcoming concerts, please visit fwsymphony.org.
ABOUT FORT WORTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is deeply committed to uniting its community through performance, education, and outreach, reaching an audience of more than 200,000 annually. Since its beginnings in 1912, the FWSO has been an essential thread in the city’s cultural fabric and the very foundation of Fort Worth’s performing arts. As the principal resident company of the acoustically superb Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall, the Orchestra performs a full season of concerts featuring internationally acclaimed guest artists and works by living composers. The Orchestra performs and partners with the Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, The Cliburn, and Performing Arts Fort Worth. Each summer at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the FWSO presents Concerts in the Garden – a series of family-friendly concerts that has become a city-wide tradition. Additionally, the orchestra hosts an annual Festival of Orchestras, providing an opportunity for non-professional orchestras across the state of Texas to perform in Bass Performance Hall. The FWSO keeps exceptional musical experiences at the heart of its community. After all—life is better with music! For more information, visit FWSymphony.org.
