4th of July Spectacular

The BSO plays the 4th of July Spectacular at Zuanich Park to kick off the celebrations. Did you know the BSO was founded for the Bicentennial of our nation? We're teaming up with the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce for an opening ceremony at Zuanich Park at 4PM. Come for patriotic and pops music, and then stay for dinner, activities, and fireworks — family fun for everyone! The original Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the song that would become our national anthem, is among the most treasured artifacts in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D. C. A bill making The Star-Spangled Banner our official national anthem was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Herbert Hoover on March 3, 1931. Often referred to as "The Black National Anthem," Lift Every Voice and Sing was a hymn written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) , composed the music for the lyrics. For an advance screening of The Wizard of Oz, MGM executives had removed “Over the Rainbow” because they felt it slowed down the film. Jokes on them as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was picked by RIAA as the #1 Song of the 20th Century and by AFI as the Greatest Movie Song Ever. In 1993, composer John Williams' theme for Jurassic Park defied traditional monster-movie musical tropes – instead of horror, Williams wrote a hymn for Steven Spielberg's summer movie smash. The Incredibles orchestral score was released three days before the film opened in theaters. It won numerous awards for best score including Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, BMI Film & TV Award, ASCAP Film and Television Music Award, Annie Award, Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award and Online Film Critics Society Award and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, Satellite Award and Broadcast Film Critics Association Award. In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams’ 1977 Star Wars score as the greatest film score of all time. And the Library of Congress has entered the film’s soundtrack into the National Recording Registry. LISTEN Williams’ 1977 recording of the Star Wars theme with the London Symphony Orchestra hit the No. 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, Meco put out a disco version of the song—”Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band”—which was a global hit and hit No. 1 on the charts. LISTEN Official Video by Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott, performing "Over the Rainbow" from "Songs of Comfort and Hope" About the Bellingham Symphony OrchestraThe Bellingham Symphony Orchestra is the resident orchestra of the historic Mount Baker Theatre. It performs seven concerts per season in addition to a variety of community and youth engagement programs across the calendar year. Details about the BSO and ticketing information for the current season are available at bellinghamsymphony.org. About the Bellingham Regional Chamber of CommerceThe Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce has contributed to the success of the local business community for over 110 years. As a not-for-profit membership organization, the chamber advocates for its members by convening leaders and influencers, serving as a catalyst for business growth and advocating for policies that bring about positive change. Learn more at bellingham.com. *All programs subject to change