Courtesy Orchestra New England
(Opinion) There’s an annual New Haven event that few people know about and even fewer take advantage of. It is the Memorial Day Tribute at Lyman Auditorium at SCSU on the Sunday before Memorial Day.
In the New Haven’s Mayor’s Office, there is the Veterans’ Affairs Advisory Committee. It does a bunch of things. It conducts an annual Veterans Day ceremony. It established in City Hall a vterans’ memorial that it proudly displays in the lobby. But I think the most important thing it does is organize the Memorial Day tribute.
We’re at a time today when our nation’s highest elected official seems to take pride in bringing out the worst in all of us. There emanates from Washington on a weekly and sometimes daily basis a flow of vitriol and disappointments that creates a lack of respect for our country, for who we are and for what we stand for. The Memorial Day tribute is an antidote to that.
Sinclair.
And so, on the Sunday before Memorial Day, there is a free concert at Lyman Auditorium. The wildly talented and energetic Orchestra of New England, under the leadership of its unapologetically enthusiastic conductor, James Sinclair, provides the music. For those with any sense of patriotism, it shouldn’t be missed. The orchestra is terrific. Its musicians are real pros and it’s obvious they enjoy what they do. Maestro Sinclair all but jumps into the audience to encourage participation. The performance generates an enthusiasm which is as contagious as it is satisfying.
The concert traditionally begins with a presentation of colors by a military team. Then, “The Star Spangled Banner.” Then more music. Loud. Brassy. Uplifting. This year there was an Aaron Copland selection, a portion of the theme from “Saving Private Ryan,” and an extended overture from West Side Story. Then a young, uniformed cadet read a moving patriotic piece. Then the orchestra went into a number of upbeat World War II-era big band tunes. And then it got even better. The real patriotic part of the program began.
First, “America the Beautiful” with full audience participation. Then “Taps.” And then an armed forces salute, featuring the anthems of all branches of the military. The veterans present who served in each of those branches either marched across the stage or stood in the audience as their branch was recognized. Then a soloist sang “God Bless America,” again, of course, with audience participation. Next, a John Philip Sousa march.
The finale, this year as every year, in the past, was a rousing Orchestra of New England version of “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” It was terrific.
The point is, I guess, that it’s rare that we see unbridled patriotic enthusiasm anymore. Now, especially when disrespect, animosity and hostility seem to be the order of the day, and when our leader’s actions bring out America’s worst qualities, it’s gratifying to be reminded of our best qualities — honesty, integrity, hard work and, most of all, respect for others. This is, yes, a patriotic exercise. We don’t see that so often anymore. It wasn’t a programmed flyover before an inattentive crowd of rowdy partiers at the Super Bowl. It wasn’t some bloated, melancholy, funereal tribute. It was a positive, upbeat, and prideful expression of appreciation of what we have and what we have to be thankful for. It recognized us at our best.
It’s regrettable, though, that the auditorium was a little better than half-full. This is worth keeping in mind. When you get lost in the May calendar next year try to remember that on the Sunday before Memorial Day it’s worth taking in a free concert at Lyman Auditorium.
Paul Bass Photo
Willie Dow (pictured) is a New Haven-based criminal defense attorney.”