From TOLEDO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Mercy Health, and the Toledo Zoo are joining forces again to continue a six-decade-old tradition of providing fun family entertainment in a relaxed setting: Music Under the Stars, a free series of concerts on four summer Sunday evenings in July in the Zoo’s Amphitheatre.
Each of the 7:30 p.m. concerts, produced by the Toledo Symphony and performed by the Toledo Symphony Concert Band, features a special theme:
July 10: American Portraits
July 17: Fun and Games
July 24: Just Dance
July 31: Broadway Showstoppers
Conductor Bruce Moss, director of band activities at Bowling Green State University, returns for his third summer. Guest artists will include the Toledo Symphony School of Music, Glass City Steel (the steel drum band from Toledo School for the Arts), Manhattan Dance Company, Toledo Choral Society, and the Ballet Theater of Toledo, among others to be announced.
Masters of ceremonies will be Tony Geftos of WTVG (13ABC) and Jerry Anderson of WTOL.
“By offering free family-oriented events for the public to enjoy; not one but two, local treasured gems, the music of the Toledo Symphony Concert Band at the venue of the Toledo Zoo not only enriches lives, it truly enhances the overall health and well-being of the community,” said Imran Andrabi, M.D., Regional President and CEO/Chief Network Integration Officer, Mercy Health – Toledo. “Mercy is proud to be the title sponsor once again for this year’s Music Under the Stars concerts.”
“The Toledo Symphony Concert Band is honored to be an integral part of this wonderful summer tradition, which started in the late 1930s, before it was called ‘Music Under the Stars.’” said Keith McWatters, the Symphony’s general manager and a Concert Band percussionist. “There is nothing quite like it in the nation: a warm summer evening with your family and friends, set in the beautiful Toledo Zoo Amphiteatre complete with the sound of fabulous music –and it’s free!
“For anyone who has had the experience, we look forward to seeing you again,” McWatters said. “For anyone who has not yet enjoyed this tradition, please join us this summer.”
“The Zoo is very proud to continue a more than six-decade summer tradition with the 2016 season of Mercy Music Under the Stars presented by The Andersons with support from Huntington, Taylor Automotive Family, and Welltower, Inc.,” said Jeff Sailer, the Zoo’s executive director. “Community collaborations like this help make the Toledo Zoo the fun-for-the-whole-family destination that the region has come to know and love. Together with the Symphony and our sponsors, we invite everyone to come out and enjoy the beautiful live music in the amazing ambiance of our historic Amphitheatre at sunset!”
The Amphitheatre opens for seating at 6:30 p.m. Concert admission is free. Parking at the zoo is free to zoo members. Parking is $7 for non-members and $15 for buses and campers. Refreshments are available.
Also, the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority will continue its “Music Under the Stars Shuttle” service. Patrons who arrive at any TARTA Music Under the Stars Shuttle Park-N-Ride location at 6:30 p.m. can board a bus for a direct round-trip ride to the Zoo’s Broadway entrance.
The Park-N-Ride locations are: St. Luke’s Hospital in Maumee, Centennial Terrace in Sylvania, Kroger’s in Waterville, and the Miracle Mile Shopping Center and Franklin Park Mall in Toledo.
The fare of $1.25 per person each way — 60 cents for seniors age 65 and older and Medicare card holders – is payable before each trip to and from the Amphitheatre. Return trips leave 20 minutes after the end of each concert.
The Toledo Symphony
With roots as early as 1838, the Symphony sees itself as the musical heart of Northwest Ohio, supporting neighborhood and regional concerts, a School of Music, and three youth orchestras, in addition to traditional concert offerings (Classics, Pops, Family, Mozart & More, and Chamber series).
