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Concert on the Madison Green Returns July 2

With Fourth of July celebrations just around the corner, one of Madison’s popular traditions will be returning for its 34th year. The annual Concert on the Green will be held Saturday, July 2 beginning at 5 p.m. and promises some new acts as well as some longtime favorites.

Put on by Madison Cultural Arts (MCA), the concert will include performances from the Shoreline Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Caribbean band Moto, and the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra presenting Shakespeare’s Playlist, music brought to life by artists interpreting Shakespeare throughout history on the 400th anniversary of his death, according to MCA Co-president Bill Brown.

“It includes both a soprano and a tenor to sing Leonard Bernstein, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hart, and other well known classics you might not know have a Shakespearean influence,” he said.

The night will also include a selection of patriotic music including “Salute to Armed Forces,” “The 1812 Overture,” “Stars & Stripes,” “Star-Spangled Spectacular,” and “God Bless America.”

Support from the community makes the concert possible, according to Brown, who said, “This is, sadly, one of the last holiday symphonic concerts still remaining on the Connecticut shoreline.”

“The Town of Madison helps a lot, but they don’t fund the concert,” he said. “The North Madison Fire Department donates the use of their powerful light truck to help us to see to clean up the Green.”

The concert itself costs nearly $30,000 to stage, but admission is free. However, there are limited reserved seats available in front of the stage to patrons who donate $70 or more.

“A contribution from Guilford Savings Bank, a long time backer, helps a lot, but many donations come from about 350 patrons before the concert buying tickets in advance and we pass the hat to everyone who is generous outside the patron seating area at intermission,” he said.

Those wishing to become patrons and reserve seats must do so before Saturday, June 25. Becoming a patron also guarantees reserved seating in the Polson Middle School Auditorium, where the concert will be moved in the event of rain. Brown said it will be a great event for all who attend.

“All of us on the board love sitting outdoors, watching the sun go down on, normally, a great early July day and listening to great music, the traditional patriotic finish, and all the orchestral music that precedes it,” he said. “For a vast majority of attendees it is free and a great opportunity to experience a high-level, live orchestral event. We like to think we’re preserving a little bit of Arthur Fiedler’s July 4th Pops Concert legacy right here in Madison.”

To learn more about the event of to become a patron, visit www.madisonculturalarts.org.