As the unofficial kickoff to the Fourth of July Celebration, “Pops by the Fountain” will deliver a spectacular show on Thursday at 7 p.m. on Second Avenue between Pennsylvania Avenue and Liberty Street.

Bryan Eckenrode, musical director and conductor, will lead the musicians of the Warren Philharmonic in a performance that serves as the unofficial kickoff to the annual Warren Fourth of July celebration. The group of more than 80 performers includes members of the Warren Philharmonic and students from the Warren County Summer Music School. Many patriotic selections in honor of the nation’s 250th birthday will be featured with the students playing a special role in the concert including dancers, chorus and individual soloists.

Opening with a bagpipe fanfare, the short classical selection “Blue Tango” will be followed by a mix of both patriotic and pop selections. This year’s pop selections are “A Tribute to Henry Mancini”, “Memory” from Cats, and “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Bohemian Rhapsody will feature a very special guest to be announced on the day of the performance. Patriotic selections include “American Salute”, “My Country Tis of Thee” featuring the Warren County Summer Music School choir, “Star Spangled Spectacular”, “Washington Post March”, and “The Stars and Stripes Forever”.

The public is invited to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy both the rehearsal, beginning at 5 p.m. and the concert at 7 p.m. In case of rain, the concert will be held at Warren Area High School.

Student musician Alix Peterson, 13, whose primary instrument is percussion, started lessons with the Warren County Summer Music School at age 9. She also plays guitar, ukulele, and piano. In addition, Peterson is one of the many students who will join the Warren Philharmonic for the 9th annual “Pops by the Fountain” concert, marking the end of the Warren County Summer Music School’s 37th year.

This project is made possible through the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency. It is funded by the citizens of Pennsylvania through annual legislative appropriation, and administered locally by the Arts Council of Erie, Inc. The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The orchestra, a nonprofit 501c(3) organization is additionally funded through private and corporate sponsorships including the Barbara Baldwin Defrees Foundation, Community Foundation of Warren County, Conarro Family Foundation, and Betts Foundation.