Celebrate America’s Milestone with Music at the Capitol

By Jennifer Halley, The West Side Newspaper

What better way to celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary than by listening to Americana-themed music at the capitol? 

The concert, put on by Salem Philharmonia Orchestra and organized by Oregon State Capitol Visitor Services (OSCVS), will take place on the lawn of the Capitol Mall on July 11, from 11 a.m. to noon. The event is free, and open to everyone. Participants should plan to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets, a picnic basket and, in case of hot weather, an umbrella. 

Led by guest conductor Damián Berdakín, South Salem High School Orchestra Director, the program contains songs such as “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “America the Beautiful,” and more. 

Baseball and Fourth of July fireworks shows are two images that come to mind when Stacy Nalley, Public Outreach Coordinator of OSCVS, thinks about using Americana-themed music to celebrate a milestone in the history of the nation. 

“Music is really a fabric or background to all of our stories,” she said, “with exposure to different pieces at different ages. I have to say, I haven’t listened to “You’re a Grand Old Flag” in a long time, but I know I can sing that whole song. 

“I think it means something different for everyone, including the musicians who are playing these pieces. Some of these songs, you would tie to Fourth of July fireworks shows or going to a baseball game, which is Americana. So I think there are a lot of different ways that it weaves into the fabric of the history of America.”

The Salem Philharmonia Orchestra is a volunteer-based orchestra that has been performing since 2012,  and works closely with OSCVS. According to its website, it “provides an opportunity for musicians and audiences in Salem, Oregon and the surrounding communities to participate in affordable performances of high-quality symphonic literature.”

This concert is part of the Concert at the Capitol series, sponsored by the Oregon State Capitol Foundation (OSCF), and comes two weeks after the Passport to America History and Democracy event, which saw participants collecting custom stamps in their souvenir 32-page passports at locations in and around the Capitol Mall. Among the vendors offering stamps were the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), Republic Chapter, clad in their 1776 gear and giving brief history lessons about the Liberty Bell while eager passport-holders held their books out for a stamp. Once the book was filled, participants received a unique 250th coin. 

The United States Postal Service also provided a special, one-day-only postmark to commemorate the country’s benchmark anniversary. 

“Between that event and the July 11 event, that’s like my own personal celebration of America’s 250th,” Nalley said. 

Each event the OSCVS organizes throughout the year is free to the public – with money provided by the OSCF from sales of the Pacific Wonderland license plate, which features a navy background and yellow text to commemorate the state flag. Fifty dollars of the $100 price tag goes to the Oregon Historical Society, and $50 goes to OSCF. 

“The purpose of that money was to fund the Capital History Gateway, which all these programs fall under,” said Nalley. 

Providing free events to the public allows for more inclusivity and accessibility for Oregonians, and that is the point behind the OSCF’s events, such as this concert. 

“If we're able to draw you in the door, you realize that it is a space that you're welcomed in,” Nalley said. “So that's really the underlying message: We really want people to know that they have a voice inside this building.”

For more information regarding Oregon State Capitol events, contact (503) 986-1388 or click on events at https://oregoncapitol.com/events/ .