Watch the ETSO’s Safer Virtual Independence Day Video Here

For more than a decade, the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra has hosted its annual Independence Day Concert and Fireworks Celebration in Collegedale.  But in light of COVID-19 pandemic’s global impact, the non-profit organization sought an alternative way to inspire harmony and unity through symphonic music.

On Saturday, July 4, at 7 p.m., the free, family-friendly event will air as a live Watch Party video on the ETSO’s Facebook page. The all-volunteer orchestra participates in a pre-recorded performance featuring an arrangement of patriotic songs and familiar tunes that, despite social distancing, encourage a sense of closeness and community among fellow Americans, according to ETSO president Mathew Miller. 

He says this special celebration is dedicated not only to America’s past and present, but also a stronger, more united tomorrow.

“We believe that through the shared experience of symphonic music, we encourage healing and harmony in the hearts of our neighbors,” says Mathew Miller, executive director of the ETSO. “Our hopes are that these performances foster a sense of togetherness that has helped us persevere and through crisis as we’ve experienced with COVID-19 and the recent tornado damage affecting the East Tennessee Valley.”