LANCASTER, Ohio (April 6, 2021) – Today the Lancaster Festival Board of Directors announced that the Lancaster Festival will be bringing the entire festival outdoors, with signature acts appearing at the Wendel Concert Stage on the Ohio University Lancaster Campus.
July 24 will feature Opening Night with The Band Perry and the Lancaster Festival Orchestra. The Band Perry performs their first-ever concert with symphony orchestra, including #1 hits “If I Die Young” and “All Your Life”. The band’s fiery contemporary sound, merging country, pop and rock elements combines with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra conducted by Maestro Gary Sheldon in the thrilling opening night program at the 2021 Lancaster Festival. The Orchestra opens with “Made in America,” a set of patriotic classics dedicated to U.S. Service men and women, past and present.
July 26, Jazz takes center stage at the Monday Night Jazz Concert with the incomparable Bryon Stripling Band with special guest Bobby Floyd on piano. Stripling earned his stripes as lead trumpeter for the likes of Dizzy Gillespie. Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck and others.
July 27, the Lancaster Festival Orchestra will perform its “Soloists Spotlight.” The orchestra’s brilliant first chair players step forward to shine. This concert will feature music of Mozart, Vivaldi and Rossini along with other classical masterpieces that includes the Carmen Fantasy performed by the young violin virtuoso Biana Pinchuk.
On July 28, The Festival welcomes Kelly Vaughn and the Remnants to open and get the crowd energized for our Wednesday performance. Due to border logistics for performers, the Wednesday Concert headliner will be announced at a later date.
The family concert, “A Musical Zoo,” will take place on July 29 at the Wendel Concert Stage when the Lancaster Festival Orchestra “Talks to The Animals” with furry fun fluttering about our imaginations. Pieces will include Haydn’s “Bear” Symphony, the “Pink Panther,” the “Carnival of Animals,” the “Goldfinch” flute concerto by Vivaldi, and the “Cantina Band” from Star Wars.
On July 31, the Grand Finale will be Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles, performing his first full concert with an orchestra. “Hotel California,” “Take it Easy,” and “Heartache Tonight” are just a few of the hits to be performed by Don Felder, legendary guitarist, and former member of The Eagles, in collaboration with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra. The Orchestra opens with “Greatest of the Grammys” – classical and pop hits immortalized by the renowned Grammy Awards ceremonies through the years.
Dazzling fireworks will cap off each Saturday evening performance.
Art Walk, which is hosted in partnership with Destination Downtown Lancaster (DDL), will be held on Friday, July 23. DDL will be announcing more details about the event in the coming weeks.
In February, the Festival announced that the 2021 Lancaster Festival will be held, with adjustments being made to accommodate COVID-19 safety protocols and processes. The Festival dates will be shortened to nine days and will include the Festival’s signature events held at the Wendel Concert Stage in the outdoor amphitheater at Ohio University Lancaster and a series of live events downtown. The Lancaster Festival Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Gary Sheldon will return, although it will be smaller to accommodate safety guidelines.
A full schedule of events will be released in the coming months and more information will be released as it becomes available atwww.lancasterfestival.org.
