CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — James Blachly, music director of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and 2021 Grammy Award winner, is inviting the community to come out and celebrate the historic win this weekend.
The celebration will take place in Johnstown’s Central Park this Saturday, March 20, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and everyone is encouraged to stop by to take pictures and chat, according to their press release.
Blachly said this is an informal event, and they’ll find other ways to continue to celebrate in the future.
“I wanted to make sure to share this moment with the community that was the very first in the U.S. to hear this amazing piece with orchestra and to do so right away while the news is still fresh,” he said.
The Johnstown Symphony Orchestra gave the U.S. premiere of Dame Ethel Smyth in April 2018, according to the release. Two years later, Blachly created the world-premiere commercial recording of the piece with his New York-based Experiential Orchestra and Chorus.
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