Editor's Note: For more photos of the event, go to the official Flickr album at Grammy Award-winning Louisville Orchestra wraps up two-year ‘In Harmony’ tour at Fort Knox | Flickr.
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FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fort Knox’s Sadowski Center filled with the rich, distinct sounds of Kentucky and beyond March 9 as hundreds gathered to enjoy the final performance of Louisville Orchestra’s two-year “In Harmony” tour.
The free performance left the crowd swaying, clapping and smiling to a wide range of music. The concert started with classical pieces from Dvorak and Bizet, shifted to modern-day compositions by Tanner Porter and Alex Berko, and finished with the red-hot Grammy award-winning bluegrass sounds of Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper.
The tour began in May 2023. Louisville Orchestra marketing director Mallory Cramer said they considered it special to finish their journey at Fort Knox.
“We wanted to come to Fort Knox because we’re trying to hit every single county in the state; that’s our goal. We would love to be able to meet every single neighborhood and community in the state because we are trying to form relationships,” said Mallory Cramer, director of marketing for the Louisville Orchestra. “With Fort Knox being so close to Louisville, it felt like a natural thing.”
According to orchestra officials, the tour is also designed to “bring economic and artistic prosperity to all parts of the state.”
“Art and music transcend geographic boundaries,” said music director and orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams. “We couldn’t be more excited to share our treasured work with our fellow Kentuckians in their hometowns and home counties.”
The initiative has taken them to libraries and schools throughout Kentucky to showcase music and inspire the next generation of musicians. A small group performed at Barr Memorial Library that morning to share some music with adults and children who had stopped in.
“We perform books like ‘Where The Wild Things Are’” said Cramer. “It allows students and kids to interact with music in a way they haven’t done before – right up close, hearing the musicians – and really get inspired by the music.”
During the concert, Abrams explained that the Louisville Orchestra is the only one in the world with three composers on staff, which allows them to produce original works on a regular basis. Their latest album, “The American Project,” earned them a 2024 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, where they collaborated with world-renowned pianist Yuja Wang.
The Fort Knox community enjoyed two original pieces during the concert, but it was Cleveland and his band’s Bluegrass performance at the end of the night that visibly stirred the crowd. He ended the night with his own take on Orange Blossom Special – backed up by the orchestra -- bringing the audience to its feet.
Cramer said Cleveland and Flamekeeper have been a great addition to the tour.
“What’s really special about ‘In Harmony,’” said Cramer, “is that we are trying to build relationships and create opportunities for our communities to hear music in a way they never have before.”
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