“The Richmond Symphony and ‘American Idol’ alum Rayvon Owen will perform next month as part of the opening ceremony for the UCI Road World Championships,” writes Louis Llovio in Thursday’s (8/13) Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia). “The symphony will play a full concert and Owen will sing the national anthem during the Sept. 18 event … in downtown Richmond. The opening ceremony is the kickoff event for the world championship event, which … ends with one of the biggest races of the season Sept. 27. The world championships is one of professional cycling’s premiere events. It is expected to draw about 450,000 spectators to the Richmond area over nine days and an additional 300 million television viewers worldwide. … The opening ceremony festivities will be a chance for the symphony to debut its ‘Big Tent.’ The 5,700-square-foot mobile, outdoor performance stage allows for coverage, lighting, sound and ‘the whole package that goes into’ putting on a performance, said R. Scott Dodson, director of advancement and patron communications for the symphony.… Having the tent will let the symphony do big events that show off the full range of the orchestra, Dodson said. It also will allow the symphony to play in underserved communities.”
Posted August 17, 2015
