Sunday, July 4th at 8:00 p.m. on WPBT2
– A CAPITOL FOURTH Turns 30! Jimmy Smits Hosts America’s Birthday Party, With Performances by Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Lang Lang and the National Symphony Orchestra –
This July 4, America’s national Independence Day celebration will mark 30 spectacular years on air. The multi-award winning A CAPITOL FOURTH, broadcast live from the West Lawn of the United States Capitol, will kick off the country’s 234th birthday with a musical extravaganza like no other, topped off by the most dazzling display of fireworks anywhere in the nation!
The 30th anniversary broadcast of A CAPITOL FOURTH will be hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits, with unrivaled performances from some of the country’s biggest musical names, including seven time Grammy Award-winning music legend Gladys Knight; multiple Grammy, CMA and ACM Award-winning country music superstar Reba McEntire; country music sensation Darius Rucker (Hootie & the Blowfish); singer David Archuleta (American Idol); actor and singer John Schneider; as well as world-renowned classical pianist Lang Lang with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly. A CAPITOL FOURTH 2010 will air live in HD Sunday, July 4, at 8:00 p.m. on WPBT2 before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home and to our service members around the world on the American Forces Network.
As part of A CAPITOL FOURTH 2010, music legend Reba McEntire will be presented with the National Artistic Achievement Award in recognition of her dedication to enriching the national legacy of the performing arts as well as her lifetime of musical contributions. This is only the fourth time the award has been presented. The first recipient was composer John Williams in 2003, followed by Latin music legends and producing team Gloria and Emilio Estefan in 2005 and Motown icon Stevie Wonder in 2006.
“As we celebrate our freedoms and the nation’s 234th birthday, we continue the tradition of founding father President John Adams, who called for ‘pomp and parade, bonfires and illuminations,” said executive producer Jerry Colbert. “Over the past three decades, we have been America’s national Independence Day celebration. There is truly no place like the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the Fourth of July!”
“It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of A CAPITOL FOURTH,” added host Jimmy Smits. “This year marks the show’s 30th anniversary, a truly impressive milestone, and it continues to be a show of quality and distinction while saluting this great country of ours. The greatest fireworks lighting up our nation’s capitol is a very moving and memorable experience. It is powerful and intimate all at the same time, bringing to the forefront what it is to be an American.”
Offering viewers extended coverage of the fireworks display, A CAPITOL FOURTH 2010 will capture the stunning pyrotechnics from every vantage point with 20 TV cameras stationed around the city — including the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument and across the Potomac River. In celebration of America’s 234th birthday, the show will be capped off with a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” — with live cannon fire provided by The U.S. Army Presidential Salute Battery — an audience favorite and now A CAPITOL FOURTH tradition. Also participating in the event will be the Choral Arts Society of Washington, The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, The U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, members of the armed forces carrying the state and territorial flags and the Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, DC.
A companion website at www.pbs.org/capitolfourth will feature a comprehensive viewer’s guide to the 2010 concert.
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