KSO honors veterans for July 4th
The Kingsville Symphony Orchestra had the last concert for its 17th season on July 2 to honor the brave men and women who have served the country with honor and distinction.
It was a celebration of their selfless sacrifice and a tribute to their commitment to defending the nation, as well as an opportunity to gather veterans located in Kingsville, as well as surrounding cities, to have an evening full of music to celebrate the Fourth of July.
“I hope that they will enjoy both the visual and aural presentation of the day and be able to enjoy a wonderful evening celebrating American favorites with friends and family,” Dr. Colleen Ferguson, assistant professor of strings and director of the Kingsville symphony orchestra, said prior to the event.
A lot of people went to celebrate and show their support for the concert and veterans, as well as pay tribute to those who have served and sacrificed for our country.
As the concert went on more people clapped harder and moved some to tears as they rose to their military branch themes and saluted their respective branch flags.
“I was sitting in the back rows I was able to see many of the older people rise when their theme came out… It was amazing how moved I was due to this. I didn’t know if it was the music or seeing our veterans in person saluting their flags but something made me cry for an experience I had never had before,” concertgoer Victoria Ozuna said.
The Kingsville Symphony Orchestra holds the annual concert to help bring people together and to foster a sense of community, respect for veterans, as well as give performers a chance to play for their veterans.
“Nowadays, a lot of people take for granted the wars and the struggles that so many people have volunteered their lives for and they volunteer their lives without even knowing if they’ll come back. I feel that the biggest importance of celebrating them and playing music for them is to let them know how appreciated they are; it’s a great honor just being able to play my instrument and having them listen knowing that they used to sing these songs or listen to these songs when they were active in the military,” School of Music, performer in double bass Jewelie Lujan said.