A renowned Broadway and Pops conductor will once again lead one of Rockford’s Fourth of July celebrations at 8 p.m. Thursday July 3 at Rock Valley College’s Starlight Theatre. He joined WNIU Your Classics host Kirk Lundbeck during a recent episode.
Kevin Stites conducted the Star Spangled Spectacular concert last year. The Pecatonica native said the first half of the concert will feature music from American composers.
“But the second half of the evening will deal more with where our country began, especially next year is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” he said. “So, the second half will feature mostly words, only by the framers of the Constitution. There's one segment of [a] famous Illinoisan
statesman.”
The children’s choir Kantorei will perform as well as Broadway actor John Rapson.
“And a local Rockford University student named Robbie Strader is going to be performing a song from Ragtime,” he added, “which is currently running at Starlight Theatre.”
Stites said the show will be entertaining.
“And I think, and hope, by the end, very moving and make us very proud to be Americans.”
Tickets are available online or at the Rockford Symphony Orchestra’s box office.
