Fourteen-time Grammy award winning artist Ricky Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder will join the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra for the City of Collegedale’s Independence Day celebration, presented by McKee Foods Corporation on beginning at 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 3.
Maestro Richard Hickam will lead the ETSO in a joint performance that will be a blend of pops and bluegrass, two genres seldom heard together. The title of the concert will be “American Folk Songs.” The orchestra will also feature patriotic music and give special recognition to the armed forces.
“We’re so excited for an opportunity to collaborate with such fine musicians to produce a show that will celebrate the birth of the United States of America,” says Jack McClarty, ETSO president. “This concert will be so much fun, both to play and to attend.”
The evening will also feature performances from Lou Wamp and his band the VonWamps, the blues band Teaspoon Sun, and The Orange Grove Center Chorus.
The concert, powered by EPB, will take place at the Veterans Memorial Park located at 9300 Apison Pike, near Collegedale City Hall. Attendees are invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair. Food vendors will be on site offering a variety of dining options. The event is free and will conclude with fireworks at dusk. For a full schedule visit www.etsomusic.org.
This will mark the 11th consecutive year that the ETSO has headlined Collegedale’s Independence Day Celebration. Last fall the all volunteer orchestra performed with Harry Connick Jr. at the Chattanooga Unite benefit.