VSO to celebrate America 250 in Grafton on July 3
Press release | May 26, 2026 | Comments 0
Concertgoers enjoy listening to the VSO on a perfect summer evening.
The 2026 Summer Festival Tour is titled America 250. Two works will be elevated by live narration by actor/director Jarvis Green and special guests. John Williams’ piece Liberty Fanfare is performed alongside a reading of Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus,” and Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait includes writings by Abraham Lincoln paired with a reading of Calvin Coolidge’s speech “Vermont is a State I Love.”
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. There will not be any fireworks following the concert.
The full concert program includes:
- The Star Spangled Banner – Traditional
- American Salute by Morton Gould
- Liberty Fanfare by John Williams
- Variations on America by Charles Ives, arr. Schuman
- America 250! by Gwyneth Walker
- Symphony No. 9 (1. Adagio) by Antonín Dvořák
INTERMISSION
- Cowboys Overture by John Williams
- Hoe-Down from “Rodeo” by Aaron Copland
- Rey’s Theme from “The Force Awakens” Suite by John Williams
- Chanson de Matin by Edward Elgar
- Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland
- Duke Ellington Fantasy by Duke Ellington, arr. Hermann
- Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa. The official National March of the United States of America
Click here to purchase advance tickets: $35 for adults, $10 for children ages 6 to 17. Gate prices are $45 and $10, 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, 10 Long Walk, Saxtons River.
Filed Under: Community and Arts Life • In the Arts • In the Community
