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Planning a musical 'pep rally'
By JOHN FLEMING and BABITA PERSAUD
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA -- For those still asking "What can I do?" the city of Tampa and the Florida Orchestra have an answer: the American Anthem concert. The free concert scheduled for Tuesday at the Ice Palace has two goals: to raise spirits in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and to collect money for relief efforts in New York. Organizers hope for a capacity crowd of 20,000. "Musically, it's almost like a pep rally," said Thomas Wilkins, the Florida Orchestra's resident conductor. "We're trying to help people heal, help people feel national pride and solidarity because of the kinds of pieces we're doing. We're trying to get people to remember and to ponder and to walk away with some degree of hope." Included in the 90-minute show will be The Star-Spangled Banner, Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and God Bless America. Singer Belinda Womack of Tampa will lead a massive choir composed of church groups from the Tampa Bay area. John Wilson, WTVT-TV Ch. 13 news anchor, and his wife, Mary K., will sing America the Beautiful. The show will end with the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay singing the choral finale to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, with text from the poem An Ode to Joy. "One of my major responsibilities is going to be to make the connection between the music that we're playing and the message we're trying to communicate," Wilkins said. Some 4,000 religious groups have been invited. "All of us, regardless of where we come from or what our background is, we feel this same kind of numbness and pain from this event," Wilkins said. "As common people, we feel this need to heal together." The concert is a last-minute project. The city had planned a vigil for Friday, but it was canceled because of Tropical Storm Gabrielle. Religious leaders then asked for a regionwide event. Planning started Monday. "Everyone is hustling," said Debbie Baxter, spokeswoman for the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, which is helping to collect donations. "But everyone is glad to do it." At a glance:American Anthem concert, 7:30 Tuesday, Ice Palace, Tampa. Free. Donations will be requested for New York relief efforts.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the wire |
