Press Room

Jul 1, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—The San Francisco Symphony joins a stellar lineup of performers in CNN’s The Fourth in America celebration, to be streamed live this Saturday, July 4 at 5pm PDT. The four-hour virtual event will feature musical performances by U.S. military bands, symphony orchestras, iconic singers, and Broadway performers, as well as showcase firework displays in multiple U.S. cities. CNN’s Don Lemon and Dana Bash co-anchor the special event, with Lemon in New York City and Bash in Washington, DC. 

Additional notable performers featured on the lineup include the New York Philharmonic and New York Youth Symphony; Houston and Colorado symphonies; Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras; "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, US Navy Band, and US Army Field Band; Burt Bacharach & Musicians from the Berklee College of Music; Harlem Gospel Choir; the original Broadway cast of Girl From the North Country; and singers Carlos Santana and Cindy Blackman Santana, CeCe Winans, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Jewel, Barry Manilow, Martina McBride, Andy Grammer, and Billy Ray Cyrus, among others.

For this July 4 special, members of the San Francisco Symphony perform Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man—the famous theme that begins the final movement of Copland’s Third Symphony, completed in 1946 and described by the composer as an “end-of-war piece—intended to reflect the euphoric spirit of the country at the time.” To learn more about the San Francisco Symphony’s recording of Copland’s Third Symphony, recorded live at Davies Symphony Hall in March 2018 and released in March 2020 on the SFS Media label, visit sfsymphony.org/Copland.

In addition to the San Francisco Symphony, CNN’s The Fourth in America special will feature performances by:
“The President’s Own” United States Marine Band
United States Navy Band
United States Army Field Band
New York Philharmonic
Colorado Symphony
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras
New York Youth Symphony
Houston Symphony
Jewel
Barry Manilow
Billy Ray Cyrus
Martina McBride
Kenny Loggins
Andy Grammer
Carlos Santana and Cindy Blackman Santana
CeCe Winans
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo
The O’Jays
Don McLean
Jesse Colin Young and Little Kids Rock
Burt Bacharach & Musicians from the Berklee College of Music
Harlem Gospel Choir
The Original Broadway Cast of Girl From the North Country, inspired by the legendary songs of Bob Dylan
Cast of Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations

The special will also highlight firework shows in New York City; Washington DC; Jacksonville, Florida; Houston, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee.

CNN’s The Fourth in America will stream live for subscribers on CNN.com’s homepage, across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android, and can also be viewed on CNNgo, 5pm–9pm PDT / 8pm–12am EDT on Saturday, July 4.

[To view the PDF version of this press release, click the link at the top of this page]