For County Manager Romilda Crocamo, the celebration of Luzerne County had to be worthy of 240 years of history.
COUNTY HISTORY
Luzerne County was created in 1786 by a resolution of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, formed from part of Northumberland County. It was named after Anne-César, chevalier de La Luzerne, an 18th century French soldier and diplomat who served as the French ambassador to the young United States.
Between 1810 and 1878 Luzerne was divided into several smaller counties: Bradford, Susquehanna, Wyoming, and finally Lackawanna — the state's youngest county.
As she announced the county's plans on Wednesday, she said an evening of classical music, dance and local talent could not be more fitting.
"On Sept. 25th, we will gather at the historic Kirby Center for a celebration behaving 240 years of history, featuring special performances by our own Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic," she said. "It's a fitting way to honor this county, bringing our community together under one roof in one of our most treasured landmarks, to celebrate everything that makes Luzerne County home."
The NEPA Philharmonic will celebrate both the county's 240th anniversary and America's 250th anniversary on Sept. 25 with a classical performance, a local Broadway star, a local singer-songwriter and a multimedia local history presentation featuring music, dance and narration.
Chason Goldschmitz, the orchestra's executive director, said the philharmonic has been working with Crocamo and the county for about a year. The celebration coincides with the opening of the orchestra's 55th season as well as the county's anniversary — and it's in the same month as the F.M. Kirby Center's 40th anniversary.
"The arts are the best way to celebrate anything, anytime. Art, song, dance, music, visual art, film, it all helps us come together," Goldschmitz said. "We feel that there is no better way to celebrate the rich history and the incredible contributions of people here across this county, and so much support and dedication to this region than by having this artistic celebration."
Program to include local artists, Young People's Concert
The concert on Sept. 25 has a full program. Goldschmitz said the NEPA Philharmonic will perform two compositions from American composer Aaron Copland: "Lincoln Portrait," which features a narrator along with the orchestra, and "Appalachian Spring," which uses a Shaker melody to depict 19th-century Pennsylvania heritage.
According to a release, the performance of "Appalachian Spring" will include "artistic multimedia," narration and dance highlighting the county's history in "collaboration with the Wilkes-Barre Preservation Society, Knot Just Any Day and Dance Theater of Wilkes-Barre."
Wilkes-Barre City Councilman and local historian Tony Brooks will narrate "Appalachian Spring," while the narrator for "Lincoln Portrait" has not been announced.
Goldschmitz also announced that Broadway star and Luzerne County native Celia Hottenstein will join the orchestra for a selection of songs from "Oklahoma," "Anastasia," "Company," and more alongside her husband and fellow Broadway actor Travis Taber.
The performance will also feature Luzerne County singer, songwriter and guitarist Gracie Jane Sinclair, who won the NEPA Philharmonic's inaugural Battle of the Bands. She will perform two original songs alongside the orchestra.
Philharmonic board president Adam Thalenfeld said the performance will feature something for everyone.
"Just because you're seeing an orchestra doesn't mean you have to show up in a suit and know classical repertoire," he said. "We hope it would encourage people to feel comfortable and excited to learn about history and learn about music with all of these different ways to do so."
The main program starts at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25 at the F.M. Kirby Center, but the orchestra will also offer a Young People's Concert for Luzerne County schools at 10:30 a.m. that day. That program will include the performance of "Appalachian Spring" and is adapted for students in grades 3-12.
Tickets for the main program start at $16 for students and $24 for adults and are available at NEPAPHIL.org. Schools and homeschool families interested in the Young People's Concert can call the Philharmonic Box Office at 570-270-4444.
