Symphony goes blue for Fourth Pops concert

HUNTINGTON -- Color the Fourth red, white and bluegrass on the river tonight.

The Huntington Symphony Orchestra with special guest, The Joe Freeman Bluegrass Band, will feature fine tunes and fireworks in "Red, White and Bluegrass" at 8 p.m. at Harris Riverfront Park. Gates open at 5 p.m. General admission seating is $15 and reserved seating is $35. Children younger than 12 are admitted for $5.

"We went to a symphony orchestra fundraiser where they had a bluegrass band accompanying their orchestra, and we really liked the way it sounded, although you don't necessarily think of those two things together," said Kia Bradburn, HSO office manager.

On the playbill for Friday night are bluegrass collaborations "Turkey in the Straw," "Orange Blossom Special" and "On the Rebound," among others, and traditional favorites such as "This Land is Your Land," "God Bless America," "God Bless the USA" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." The bluegrass band will also perform selections of its own.

"Not only is the fusion of these two sounds very cool and interesting, but it makes the orchestra much more accessible. Bluegrass represents everything that is American about this region," Bradburn said. "Hopefully, the idea of fusing these two types of music will help people be more receptive to these types of creative pairings in the future."

In conjunction with the concert is the annual Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza, which Bradburn said will be sizably larger than in years past.

For more information or tickets, call 304-525-0670.