The Wallingford Symphony Orchestra presents an annual Pops concert on Sundays
WALLINGFORD — The Wallingford Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual Pops concert Sunday at 7 p.m. on the lawn outside Seymour St. John’s Chapel at Choate Rosemary Hall.
The concert is free, open to all and is sponsored by the Wallingford Parks and Recreation Department, the Wadsworth Family Foundation and the Ulbrich Corporation.
Music Director Philip T. Ventre, co-founder of the WSO, will lead the orchestra through a variety of compositions and soprano Ariana Straznicky will perform classic pop and Broadway songs.
The concert opens with “Star Spangled Banner”, “America the Beautiful” and the Ukrainian national anthem. These will be followed by Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and popular marches, including John Williams’ “March of the Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Hymn and Triumphal March” by “Aida” by Giusepp Verdi, “March of the Marionettes” by Charles Gounod, “The Past of Kitchen Utensils” by Ralph Vaughan and “Crown Imperial” by Sir William Walton.
After the intermission, the orchestra will play “Pomp and Circumstance” by Sir Edward Elgar, followed by the “Wedding March” from “Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Felix Mendelssohn.
Bob Lowden’s Armed Forces Salute will follow, and Straznicky will return to the stage to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel.” The orchestra will follow with “76 Trombones” from “The Music Man” by Meredith Wilson.
The arrival will begin with “1812 Overture” by Piotr Tchaikovsky, followed by “Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Souza and a jazz version of the latter by Ventre’s uncle, Frank Ventre, and Fred Norman. Next, the orchestra and Straznicky will perform George M. Cohan’s “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy” before concluding with Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”.
In the event of rain, the concert will be moved down Christian Street to the Ann and George Colony Hall.