Today (July 4) is Independence Days, a major holiday for Americans. Laurie posted a blog about it, but her approach and mine differ. I've gathered a few items from Youtube which make me feel proud to be an American.
Marin Alsop is the first woman conductor and Music Director of a major symphony orchestra (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) in this country. In her first two years on the job, she has worked wonders. The Baltimore Symphony has made great gains both musically and financially at a time when many other American orchestras face major cuts and possibly shutdowns. She has initiated several outreach and education programs. One is having question and answer sessions after concerts, and other is a series of Webumentaries such as this.
We have free elections in this country, and we celebrate presidential inaugurations with music and other forms of entertainment. Musicians playing at the inauguration in January of this year included Yo Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman.
One of our patriotic songs is "America the Beautiful," performed movingly here by Ray Charles.
