Why should you come out for a concert in your hometown?
From Adam McClelland, Erie Philharmonic Board Secretary
To my mind, the answer to “Why should you come out to a summer concert?” is simple.
As a concert music enthusiast, experiencing live music in a beautiful outdoor venue is like nothing else you will experience! To use a Sherlock Holmes quote, “It’s unique, perfectly unique!” Over the years, I have experienced a few different versions of summer concerts, and each has been so wonderful that I keep coming back for more. Before the Erie Phil started the In Your Hometown Series a few years ago, you could frequently find me at a concert hosted by The Cleveland Orchestra at their summer home, Blossom Music Center. The facility and grounds are beautiful and put you into a state of mind appropriate for taking in a concert. It doesn’t matter what that concert is, either. I’ve seen concertos, symphonies, and movies at Blossom, and each was a sublime experience. The energy and vibe is different. The same can be said for the In Your Hometown summer concert series. Whether it’s chamber music, a brass choir, or a small ensemble, I hope you'll try experiencing live music while enjoying the beauty of nature this summer with the Erie Phil at a Hometown location near you!
Speaking of locations, I have two favorite stories from the In Your Hometown series.
The first comes from a concert early in the series, which was at a park in Titusville. We didn’t have a rain location for this particular concert, but folks were encouraged to bring whatever was necessary since rain was forecast. As the concert wore on, the dark clouds of an impending storm continued to build and work their way over the hills surrounding the area. If memory serves, as Ken Heinlein and the Brass Choir moved into “The Stars and Strips Forever,” the heavens opened, and it poured. People stayed in their chairs with raincoats and umbrellas and still managed to clap along with the music. Considering the circumstances, the applause and cheering at the song's end were remarkably joyful. Folks were thrilled at how the concert went and expressed an interest in returning should we do something like that in the area again.
The second story comes from a more recent concert, also in Titusville. This time, we had a rain location. Well, once again, it was raining. Ken and his Brass Choir played on the stage in a repurposed manufacturing space that houses a bar and restaurant. The Brass Choir came to a piece called “It Is Well.” While singing along wasn’t specifically encouraged, folks did anyway, and I also saw quite few people with misty eyes, and even some with tears streaming down their faces due to the sheer beauty of the music and the passion with which it was performed. I’m pretty sure Ken Heinlein was also moved by this particular performance. It was a magical moment and just one of many we’ve witnessed over the course of the In Your Hometown series thus far.
In conclusion, I can’t recommend this concert series enough. If you can make it, I can, with ease, highly recommend that you join us for one or all of the concerts on offer this year. If you can make it to a concert at a location nearest you, I hope you’ll join us! See you there!