Pacific Symphony opens summer season on Fourth of July with a tribute to the music of Chicago

The Pacific Symphony is celebrating the most American of holidays by offering a musical tour of America capped by the music of Chicago.

With barely any time for performers to catch their breath after ending their regular season, the symphony is plunging into its 32nd summer season with its traditional Fourth of July concert, including fireworks, on Wednesday night.

The show, opening the orchestra’s three-concert SummerFest 2018 at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, will be highlighted by the music of Chicago.

That’s Chicago the group, not the city.

“Chicago is one of the legendary groups in American music, and their music is a definite part of America,” said Richard Kaufman, principal pops conductor of the Pacific Symphony. “They’re very exciting. They bring real emotion to their music, and their sound is very unique.”

Contributing to that sound is the instrumentation: Chicago often called itself the “rock ’n’ roll band with horns,” a fusion of rock and jazz employing brass instruments.

To that end, Brass Transit, a Chicago tribute band, will join the Pacific Symphony in the second half of the program to pay homage to the five-time Grammy Award-winning group that has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and is known for classics such as “Saturday in the Park,” “If You Leave Me Now” “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” and “You’re the Inspiration.”

The eight-member Brass Transit, formed a decade ago exclusively to play Chicago’s music, patterned its name after Chicago’s original full name, Chicago Transit Authority, which was soon shortened to Chicago to avoid a lawsuit from the actual Chicago Transit Authority.

Though this will mark Kaufman’s first collaboration with Brass Transit, he has worked with the original band, which is still going strong after a half-century.

“Not only have I conducted for the actual Chicago before,” he said, “I’ve worked with [former member and Grammy Award winner] Bill Champlin on a TV series I worked on, ‘In the Heat of the Night,’ where he sang the title song.”

Kaufman, himself a Grammy winner, said the Chicago tribute highlights a concert about different places in America.

“We also have John Williams celebrating all things Hollywood in ‘Hooray for Hollywood,’” Kaufman said, “Ferde Grofe celebrating New Orleans in [the] ‘Mardi Gras’ [movement] from ‘Mississippi Suite,’ and some wonderful symphonic ragtime music (‘Five and Dime Rag’ by Roger Fratena),” as well as “Seventy-Six Trombones” from one of the classic American musicals, “The Music Man.”

Kaufman will make sure the military doesn’t get overlooked.

“We will definitely honor America’s servicemen and women,” he said. The medley “Armed Forces Salute,” which covers all five branches of the military, will be played.

The honor guard from American Legion Post 291 will do the presentation of colors after the opening selection, “The Glory of Hope,” by Emmy Award winner Bruce Broughton.

“Broughton’s piece doesn’t focus on any one place geographically,” Kaufman said, “but is exciting, spirit-filled music that opens a whole night of celebrating America on its 242nd birthday.”

IF YOU GO

What: Pacific Symphony opens its 32nd summer season, SummerFest 2018, with its traditional Fourth of July show with fireworks, featuring the music of Chicago played by Brass Transit.

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Pacific Amphitheatre, OC Fair & Event Center, 100 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

Cost: Tickets start at $33.

Information: (714) 755-5799, pacificsymphony.org.

Michael Rydzynski is a contributor to Times Community News.