Warren orchestra to mark 50 years

Staff report

WARREN

The Warren Philharmonic Orchestra will mark its 50th anniversary with a weekend of free events June 17-19.

“We have been meeting for over a year to plan this celebration,” said Gina Bodor, anniversary committee chairwoman. “The area has supported the orchestra for a half century, and we want to provide a wealth of experiences for everyone to enjoy.”

The celebration kicks off June 17 with performance by members of the orchestra at the Warren Community Amphitheatre at 7:30 p.m., followed by a screening of “August Rush,” a film about an orphaned musical prodigy who uses his gift as a clue to finding his birth parents. The evening will conclude with a fireworks display about 10:30 p.m.

On June 18, local arts and history will be in the spotlight with a Music and Art Hop on from 3 to 6 p.m., in partnership with Trumbull Art Gallery and Fine Arts Council of Trumbull. Hop venues will include TAG, FACT, DNA Studios, Kinsman House, Upton House, John Stark Edwards House, and the Union Savings and Trust Building (Chase Tower). The Warren Trolley will provide shuttle service.

The WPO will host a 3 p.m. reception at TAG, 158-162 N. Park Ave, where winning entries from the 2015 Art in Music Contest for grade schoolers will be on display. SMARTS (Students Motivated by the Arts) will sponsor hands-on art for children of all ages in Courthouse Park from 3 to 6 p.m. with free materials.

A variety of live music will be performed in the Courthouse Park Gazebo from 3-6 p.m.

On June 19, the anniversary celebration will conclude with a pops concert by the WPO at the historic First Presbyterian Church, 256 Mahoning Avenue, NW, in downtown Warren.

The Joe Augustine Trio and baritone Brian Keith Johnson also will perform. Augustine, a Warren native, has been a Steinway Artist since 1994 and performs extensively with his trio and as a solo pianist.

Johnson, son of local educator Lillie Johnson and the late Cliff Johnson, has performed diverse roles with Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Youngstown and other orchestras.