WILLIAMSBURG, VA. (Top40 Charts/ Jamestown 2007 PR) -
Bruce Hornsby & The Noise Makers will host an evening of rock, R&B and progressive bluegrass on Saturday, May 12, 2007, to honor America's beginnings 400 years ago at Jamestown, Va. A three-time Grammy winner Hornsby will be joined by some of his Grammy winning friends, including legendary funk and R&B artist
Chaka Khan and progressive bluegrass master Ricky Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder.
The concert is one highlight of America's Anniversary Weekend - a three-day salute to Jamestown and its legacies. The weekend, being held May 11-13 at Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne and Anniversary Park, includes entertainment, historical attractions and special commemorative occasions. Also participating during the weekend will be dignitaries such as former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and actor James Earl Jones, as well as thousands of performers from across the nation.
Lists of performances at Anniversary Park are available at www.Americas400thAnniversary.com. In addition to exciting entertainment, each single-day, date-specific ticket provides admission to new world-class museums and exhibits at the Jamestown sites.
Anniversary Weekend performance highlights include:
Friday, May 11: The Virginia Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of JoAnn Falletta, and Richmond Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Mark Russell Smith, play separately and then combine - for the first time ever - to premier new works by John Corigliano, John Duffy, Adolphus Hailstork and Jennifer Higdon written especially for the commemoration.
Saturday, May 12: The performance of Hornsby, Khan and Skaggs caps "400 Minutes of Music," an afternoon-long program featuring contemporary rock infused with native American musical traditions from Brulé, a mix of folk, world, blues and soul music from South African artist Vusi Mahlasela, folk roots music from Michael Seeger, poetic urban folk from Jen Chapin, and alternative country from Scott Miller & The Commonwealth.
Sunday, May 13: Anniversary Weekend concludes with the performance of a 400-Piece Orchestra and a 1,607-Voice Choir created especially for the commemoration and representing most of the United States. The individual choral and orchestra groups performing at Anniversary Park throughout the weekend join for a powerful concert worthy of America's 400th Anniversary. A fireworks finale completes the evening.
Single-day, date-specific tickets provide visitors with access to entertainment and programming at the three sites as well as satellite parking facilities and shuttle transportation to event sites. Guests may purchase tickets at $30 for adults and $15 for children 6-12. Children under six are free. Ticket sales are being limited to 30,000 a day to ensure guests enjoy a comfortable visit.
Anniversary Weekend tickets and accommodations are available through Colonial Williamsburg, the official hotels of the commemoration, and may be reserved by phone at (866) 400-1607 or through www.Americas400thAnniversary.com. The call center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Callers outside of regular operating hours will be prompted to leave a message, which will be returned the next day.
Editor's Note: President Bush and Queen Elizabeth II have been invited to participate in Anniversary Weekend. Her Majesty announced in November 2006 that she is looking forward to her visit to Jamestown sometime in May to commemorate the anniversary, though Buckingham Palace has not released her itinerary. The White House has not released details about a possible presidential visit.
Jamestown 2007, a sub-agency of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, is coordinating efforts to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Va., the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. The nation's first representative government, free enterprise system and culturally diverse society began at Jamestown. State, national, and international commemorative events to salute these legacies began in May 2006 and continue into 2008. Major corporate sponsors of America's 400th Anniversary include Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC), Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Other supporters include Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (NYSE: BUD), AirTran Airways (NYSE: AAI), Dominion, James City County, Philip Morris USA, SunTrust, TowneBank and Wolseley PLC/Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. Contributors include the City of Poquoson and Rutherfoord Insurance. More information about the commemoration is available at www.Americas400thAnniversary.com.
