Veterans Day 2017 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center

From an email:

A celebration for Veterans, Servicemembers, their families, and military caregivers, featuring interactive activities, arts experiences, and a pops concert

(MANASSAS)— The Hylton Performing Arts Center presents Celebrating Veterans and the Arts, an afternoon of free arts activities and experiences for Veterans, Servicemembers, their families, military caregivers, and the community at large on Saturday, November 11, 2017. The annual celebration culminates with a concert of pop, jazz, and patriotic music by the American Festival Pops All-Stars, which is free to the Veteran and military community. Members of the general public may purchase tickets to this family-friendly performance at hyltoncenter.org.

The free-of-charge portion of this celebration begins at 1 p.m. with Veterans Service Organizations, community groups, and arts organizations displaying their support and offerings for Veterans, Servicemembers, their families, and military caregivers in the Didlake Grand Foyer. The Didlake Grand Foyer will be a hub for socializing with community members and networking with representatives of local organizations for the entire afternoon.

The performing arts offerings will launch at the same time in the Buchanan Partners Art Gallery with a chamber performance featuring students of the Youth Orchestras of Prince William. Attendees will also be able to browse a new exhibition, War and Recovery, by Martin J. Cervantez, Master Sergeant, USA (Ret.). At 2 p.m., Cervantez will present a lecture about his artwork. Participants are invited to join Cervantez and friends in the Hylton Center’s outdoor areas to create their own artwork through a hands-on art project titled “The Power of Dots.”

Concurrently, guitar students—comprising local Veterans, Servicemembers, and their families—who participated in the Hylton Center’s Dominion Energy Veterans Guitar Workshops will give a special presentation in the Gregory Family Theater at 2 p.m. Audience members are encouraged to observe the performance or to grab a guitar and join the class. The space will transform into an Instrument Petting Zoo at 3 p.m. presented by the Potomac Arts Academy.

Preceding the ticketed concert, Bryan Kidd, USN, MUCF (Ret.) will offer a Pre-Performance Discussion at 3 p.m. in the Buchanan Partners Art Gallery. Then, promptly at 4 p.m., the American Festival Pops All-Stars and conductor Anthony Maiello will present Salute to Veterans: A Concert for All Ages in Merchant Hall. The performance will feature Darden Purcell and Mason Jazz Voices, vocalist Jim Van Slyke, and 14-year-old tap-dancing talent Luke Spring. This concert is free to Veterans, Servicemembers, their families, and military caregivers, and proceeds from it will support the Veterans and the Arts Initiative at the Hylton Center.

Celebrating Veterans and the Arts is made possible by: presenting sponsor Azalea Charities, Inc., Frank E. Lasch, Sr., Chairman and Founder; Dominion Energy; the City of Manassas; the Virginia Commission for the Arts; and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ticket Information
Activities from 1-4 p.m. as part of Celebrating Veterans and the Arts are free and open to the public. Tickets to the 4 p.m. performance of Salute to Veterans: A Concert for All Ages by the American Festival Pops All-Stars are $15 general admission, and free to Veterans, Servicemembers, their families, and military caregivers. Tickets are on sale at hyltoncenter.org.

About the Veterans and the Arts Initiative
Since 2014, the Veterans and the Arts Initiative has served as an arts and community hub for our local Veterans, Servicemembers, their families, and community members. The Initiative has brought our community together at the Hylton Performing Arts Center to engage with the arts through performances, workshops, lessons, exhibitions, and special events that have featured the arts, including music, visual art, dance, and poetry. The intended benefit of the Veterans and the Arts Initiative is to facilitate community engagement through local arts organizations that establishes lasting connections to the arts and supports strong social relationships within the community.