WASHINGTON -- On Sunday, May 29, the Marine Band will kick off Wolf Trap’s summer season with Blast Off!, a Memorial Day weekend concert at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts’ Filene Center in Vienna, Va. This year’s performance is filled with American classics, works by American composer John Williams, highlights from the Emmy Award-winning 10-part television series Band of Brothers, and more! The concert will then be followed by an electrifying fireworks show to cap off the evening.
This event is free and open to the public, and will begin at 8 p.m.
Conducted by Marine Band Director Col. Jason K. Fettig, the concert will feature definitive slices of Americana including John Philip Sousa’s march “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” A Salute to the Armed Forces of the United States of America, and selections from the beloved Academy Award-winning Saving Private Ryan. While the Marine Band's Blast Off! traditionally ends with Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky's legendary 1812 Overture, this year, the band is instead performing a special tribute to the people of Ukraine with a performance of Modest Mussorgsky's monumental portrait of “The Great Gate of Kiev” from Pictures at an Exhibition.
“This concert promises to be an exciting and entertaining celebration of music for film, our men and women in uniform, and the resilience of the American spirit,” Fettig said. “We can't wait to perform again live for our amazing audiences at Wolf Trap!”
Gates will open at 6:30 p.m. and will close when the park reaches maximum capacity. Following the Marine Band’s performance, a firework viewing area will open at approximately 9:30 p.m., with the display set to start at 9:45 p.m.
The Filene Center is located at 1551 Trap Road in Vienna. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs for seating in the lawn area. For more information, call (703)255-1868 or visit wolftrap.org.