Butler County symphony integral to America250 celebration
The Butler County Symphony Orchestra’s annual Fourth of July concert, which takes place in Cranberry Township, will be especially special in 2026, because it will be commemorating the semiquincentennial of the U.S.
While this concert is pretty much just as expensive as the orchestra’s regular season concerts, which cost between $25,000 to $35,000 to put on, the summer music will be funded in part by a $10,000 grant from America250PA, which was awarded Wednesday, Oct. 8.
The grant will be matched by funding from the Opus I Music Society. Ed DeSantis, executive director of the Butler County Symphony Orchestra Association, said he applied for the grant because it was created to provide funding to groups supporting patriotic activity.
According to America250PA, these grants are intended to create, uplift, improve and expand programming and projects from communities and organizations that create activities around the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
DeSantis said the concert seemed like the perfect candidate for the grant, especially because the show has been well-attended for years.
“What better way to honor the 250th anniversary than our Cranberry concert, which is annually a patriotic-themed concert because it happens around the Fourth of July,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis said the orchestra’s entire season is based around celebrating the U.S.’s 250th birthday. The season started Saturday, Oct. 4, with a show entitled “Ellis Island: The Dream of America.” The concert featured music composed in 2001 and 2002 by Peter Boyle, and the performance featured actors who read archived documents from Ellis Island word-for-word to introduce each piece.
Patricia Stagno, president of the association’s board of directors, said Oct. 8 that the orchestra’s new music director, Moon Doh, played a role in planning the season. She said although this is Doh’s first season as the symphony’s full-time music director and conductor, he took the theme of America’s semiquincentennial and ran with it.
“When he was named music director back in May, he already had the foundations of a music season,” Stagno said. “This is the perfect year to highlight American music and American musicians.”
The November concert is all about jazz, which Doh called a “truly American art form.” He said that while “A Jazz Odyssey” encompasses an American art form, two of the composers are international, but represent the influence of jazz and its rise in popularity on the rest of the world.
“I thought after my first concert, the second should be something that truly represents America,” Doh said. “I wanted to bring in the different cultures.”
The season’s remaining concerts are “Holiday Traditions,” “Voices of America: From Within and Afar,” “Crossroads of Sound” and “John Williams to Bernstein: Legends of Screen and Stage,” which Doh said each carry American-based themes.
While the grant the orchestra received was specifically meant to pay for next year’s show in Cranberry Township, Amy Pack, president of Experience Butler County, said the group’s entire season is good buildup for the semiquincentennial.
Pack also said she expects to see more events commemorating the nation’s 250th birthday pop up as it gets closer, but noted that the symphony was ahead of the curve.
“It builds the excitement for the semiquincentennial, and it’s such a unique way to celebrate our patriotism through music,” she said.
Pack, who is also on the advisory board for Butler County PA 250, said the orchestra’s Independence Day show will be included in an online resource guide for events and programs promoting America250. She said the rest of the shows throughout the symphony’s season will also build hype for the main events celebrating the semiquincentennial.
“Everybody can resource what’s available,” Pack said, “especially as that date comes closer and we get into 2026, the excitement is really going to build.”
DeSantis said the musicians who perform with the Butler County Symphony Orchestra are paid “per service,” which are rehearsals and performances. The pay ranges from $75 to $125 per session, and DeSantis added that there is a travel stipend for musicians who are from outside of Butler County.
While fundraising and ticket sales help offset the cost of each performance — DeSantis said tickets account for 30% of revenue that covers a single orchestra concert — grants and sponsorships are the big players in funding the music and the musicians.
“Some of our more classic works will require four to five services, and that’s where our costs really jump up and they have to come together multiple times to rehearse, and we pay them for that,” DeSantis said. “For $2,500 they can sponsor the music and they will be the presenter of those pieces. Moon Doh, we pay him a salary … They can sponsor Moon conducting a concert.”
However, DeSantis also said the concerts are made possible by the small donations the orchestra receives year-round.
“Buying a ticket is great, we want you to be there. We love when the house is filled and there are all these people,” DeSantis said. “If it wasn’t for the small-dollar donors — $500, $250, $5,000 — the season wouldn’t happen.”
Stagno said that while the costs to put on these concerts is high, the prowess and reach of the symphony and its musicians makes each show possible. She said she is happy that America250PA recognizes the impact of the Butler County orchestra by awarding the grant.
“We’re very grateful to America250 recognizing the importance of our concert held every year at Cranberry,” Stagno said.
