Kennett Symphony Celebrates Freedom at Longwood

Posted by Press Release on July 19, 2011

The Kennett Symphony will present Celebrate Freedom on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Longwood Gardens Open Air Theatre. Rain date: Sunday, Aug. 21. Under the direction of Maestra Mary Woodmansee Green with special guest Narrator: CBS 3’s, Pat Ciarrocchi in A Lincoln Portrait. With favorites by Copland, Barber, Thompson and Sousa with The Chester County Choral Society, The Mary Green Singers and Alyssa Blackstone, Violin 2010 Kennett Symphony Instrumental Competition Winner.

The concert includes two pieces written by Aaron Copland during World War II: his stirring Fanfare for the Common Man and his Lincoln Portrait, based on the letters and speeches of Abraham Lincoln. The two choruses will join the all-professional orchestra in two movements from Randall Thompson’s Testament of Freedom based on writings by Thomas Jefferson. Instrumental Competition Winner, violinist Alyssa Blackstone, will play Vieuxtemps’ colorful variations on Yankee Doodle. The program will also include a Civil War medley, and two pieces by West Chester native, Samuel Barber: A Stopwatch and an Ordnance Map for men’s chorus, brass and percussion, and his moving Adagio for Strings. Closing this tribute marking the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 will be Mansions of the Lord from “Band of Brothers” and Irving Berlin’s God Bless America.

In addition to anchoring and reporting news for CBS 3, Pat Ciarrocchi is co-host with Ukee Washington of Talk Philly, CBS 3’s Emmy Award-winning news and lifestyle program, airing weekdays at noon. Ciarrocchi joined Channel 3 in 1982. Before her current assignment, she set the pace for morning news in Philadelphia as the station’s early morning news anchor, growing that program from a half-hour newscast to a two-hour staple in the market. A native of Chester County, she currently resides in Merion, Pennsylvania with her husband, David Fineman.

The Chester County Choral Society is a nonprofit community ensemble based in West Chester and his been under the direction of Gary P. Garletts since 1999. The Mary Green Singers, founded and directed by Mary Woodmansee Green 26 years ago, has performed with a variety of orchestras in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East and come from the five county Philadelphia area, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

Alyssa Blackstone of Downingtown, PA, is a 16-year-old junior at West Chester Christian School. She has studied violin for 11 years, and is currently studying with Sylvia Ahramjian at the Settlement Music School. Alyssa was first place winner of the Kennett Symphony’s 2010 Instrumental Competition that was held on Saturday, November 20th, in the Kendal-at-Longwood Auditorium. The annual competition, chaired by David and Fran Gilbert, is for gifted musicians in grades 9-12.

Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Concert tickets include all-day admission to Longwood Gardens and Free Parking. Longwood Gardens Member and Group Discounts are available.

For tickets or information, call 610-444-6363 or visit www.kennettsymphony.org. Student and group discounts are also available by calling the Symphony office.