The Best of Kansas City Symphony’s Bank of America Celebration at the Station will air at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 24 and again at 8:30 p.m. Monday, May 25 on KCPT/Channel 19. KCPT also will simulcast on YouTube TV through the PBS channel.
The show will include clips from some of the best performances from past years of the program and messages from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Lead Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Michael Stern, messages from program collaborators including Union Station, The National WWI Museum, Bank of America and KCPT, as well as a traditional fireworks display. This presentation will serve to bring this beloved Memorial Day tradition into the homes of area residents in its 18th year.
Broadcast highlights include:
Hometown favorites: Performances by Bobby Watson, The Elders and Jim Birdsall reciting a poem by John Musgrave.
Special guests: Performances by MusiCorps and Oleta Adams, John Brancy, Capathia Jenkins and Jim Birdsall. Plus, KC’s own internationally famous mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato will perform two beautiful favorites, “Shenandoah” and “Over the Rainbow," from her home in Spain.
Honoring troops: Favorites such as “Danny Boy,” “Taps,” “Armed Forces Salute,” “WWI Medley” and more.
Orchestral showstoppers: Kansas City Symphony performs “Saint Bailey’s Rag” and more, including Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.”
The Best of Kansas City Symphony’s Bank of America Celebration at the Station is possible because of generous support from Bank of America.
Presented as a gift to the Kansas City community and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice serving in the American armed forces, the Annual Celebration at the Station is the largest free Memorial Day weekend event in the Midwest. The decision to cancel the gathering held at Union Station and Liberty Memorial was made due to ongoing concerns regarding the spread of Covid-19.