After being silenced last year by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Ohio Symphony will again take the stage in Delaware at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 4.

Conductor Jaime Morales-Matos will direct the orchestra in Phillips Glen, located behind Gray Chapel on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University, just one block south of downtown Delaware. Delaware City Schools Superintendent Heidi Kegley will be the evening’s host. This will be the Symphony’s 35th annual 4th of July concert.

“We’re excited to be back,” said Warren W. Hyer, executive director of the Symphony. “Our musicians are ready to go. For many of them, this will be their first performance before a live audience since March 2020.

“We are very pleased to have Heidi Kegley host our concert this year. We thought this concert would be a great opportunity to honor the teachers, families, and students throughout the county who worked hard in a year with many challenges.”

Bella Bosco will be the solo vocalist for the concert. Bosco, a junior obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater at Western Connecticut State University, has performed with the orchestra before.

One of Ohio’s largest free orchestra performances, attendance in recent years numbered between 6,000-8,000.

Concertgoers are asked to observe any Ohio and CDC guidelines in effect on July 4.

“We want our attendees to feel comfortable using the precautions they feel are necessary for themselves and to respect all attending the concert,” said Hyer.

Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs or a blanket to enjoy the annual event, a July 4th tradition for many families.

Lawn seating is free, however, the Symphony is providing limited reserved chair seating in front of the stage. For more information on reserved seating, visit www.centralohiosymphony.org or the Symphony office at 24 E. Winter St. in downtown Delaware. The office currently is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Our musicians and our board and staff always look forward to this event,” said Hyer. “This concert is our favorite way to thank the community for the strong support it has always given us. We’re glad to be back.”

The Symphony is in need of volunteers in many capacities for this event. If interested, contact the Symphony office at (740) 362-1799.

“We did not get a green light to put it on until the start of June,” said Hyer. “We are basically pulling off an event in one month that we typically start planning for in February.”

The sponsors for this year’s concert are Willow Brook Christian Communities, Zangmeister Cancer Center and Middlefield Bank, as well as the City of Delaware and the Ohio Arts Council. The concert location is made possible by Ohio Wesleyan University’s continuing strong support of the Symphony.

In the event of rain, the concert will be broadcast live, from an indoor location without audience, over the Symphony’s Facebook page and through other media outlets.

The City of Delaware’s fireworks display will follow the concert.

For more information on the concert, visit www.centralohiosymphony.org, the Symphony’s Facebook page, or call the Central Ohio Symphony office at (740) 362-1799.