HAMLET – From the patriotic music selections, to the red, white and blue of the orchestra conductor’s attire, patriotism was the welcome theme Tuesday night at The Kenneth L. & Elizabeth S. Cole Auditorium on the campus of RichmondCC. Billed as the “Celebrate America!” concert, this was the second time this year the Charlotte Symphony has performed at the Cole Auditorium. Their first offering of “The Musical World of Harry Potter” was performed by the symphony in January.
It would be hard not to be in a patriotic spirit while watching the enthusiastic direction of Albert George Schram, conductor. Attired in a red bowtie, matching red cummerbund with a white shirt and jacket, topped off with one red and one blue athletic shoe, Schram made the symphony fun! The conductor introduced each song by telling the audience the title, composer and relevance in America’s history. Audience participation was also encouraged; we sang the National Anthem, America the Beautiful and God Bless America.
A medley of armed forces theme songs was played and Schram asked as each theme was played, for anyone in the audience in that branch of service to please stand. It was heartwarming to watch as Schram looked at each service member individually in acknowledgement of his service.
Naturally, there were several John Phillip Sousa marches performed with hand clapping and foot stamping accompaniment from the audience. The grand finale was Stars and Stripes Forever.
The conductor graciously spoke of the beauty of our area, mentioning the Uwharrie National Forest and the beautiful countryside he saw on the drive between Charlotte and Hamlet. He also stated he “loved the intimate crowd” gathered in the auditorium.
Joey Bennett, the director of the Cole Auditorium, introduced the orchestra and acknowledged the performance was made possible by the Cole Foundation.
