Iowa Public Radio Classical’s Performance Iowa will present the Des Moines Symphony’s 20th annual Yankee Doodle Pops concert on Wednesday, July 3, 2013, broadcast live from the West Terrace of the state capital. The theme of this year’s concert is “Road Trip U.S.A. — An American Journey.” IPR producers Jacqueline Halbloom and Karen Impola will host a pre-concert patriotic warm-up at 8 pm, setting the stage for the DMSO’s patriotic celebration.
Jared McCarty, winner of the symphony’s “Oh Say, Can You Sing?” contest, will kick off the concert at 8:30 with a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. The Des Moines Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Joseph Giunta will continue with a score of patriotic pieces including The Stars & Stripes Forever and Armed Forces Salute, and a medley of favorites including America the Beautiful, San Francisco, Deep in the Heart of Texas, Meet Me in St. Louis, Tennessee Waltz, My Old Kentucky Home, Georgia on My Mind, and New York New York. The concert will also include a selection from Symphony in Sculpture by Steve Heitzeg, commissioned last year by John and Mary Pappajohn in honor of the DMSO’s 75th season and the sprawling Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines. Last year’s concert drew an estimated crowd of 100,000, and this year’s patriotic powerhouse hopes to do the same. The concert culminates with Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with Howitzer canons provided by the Iowa National Guard.
