Las Vegas: Concert salutes JFK on 50th anniversary of his death

The Las Vegas Philharmonic will honor the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death with music in a Saturday evening concert that also pays tribute to members of the armed services.

“Love of Country” at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts will feature George Hanson (who once served as an assistant to Leonard Bernstein) conducting Beethoven’s “Coriolan” Overture and Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Opus 55 known as “Eroica” (Heroic).

“Eroica” has a connection with JFK’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963. The Boston Symphony Orchestra was performing a concert on that day when news arrived that the president had been shot.

Conductor Erich Leinsdorf switched the second half of the concert to “Eroica,” music that became a tribute to the fallen leader, in announcing his death to the audience.

The philharmonic also will play “Remembering JFK: An American Elegy,” which was written by Peter Lieberson to mark the 50th anniversary.

Richard Bryan, former Nevada senator and governor, will be guest narrator for the piece, which uses parts of three Kennedy speeches.

Tickets cost $25 to $94; 200 free tickets were given to service members at nearby Nellis Air Force Base. The performance starts at 6:45 p.m. with a chat with Hanson, and the music begins at 7:30 p.m.

Info: Las Vegas Philharmonic, (702) 749-2000
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