UCO Summer Band to kick off LibertyFest

The University of Central Oklahoma Summer Band will kick off Edmond’s LibertyFest with a Concert in the Park at UCO on Thursday, June 24. 

The free concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Plunkett Park and the Chickasaw Plaza on UCO’s campus. The 70th Concert in the Park will be directed by Brian Lamb, director of the UCO School of Music. The concert will feature patriotic music, marches and light classics. 

The UCO Summer Band will be comprised of UCO School of Music faculty, staff and students. Prior to the pandemic, the band was comprised of community members. 

“The faculty and staff that are playing are really making a sacrifice. They’re really doing this out of a sense of service to the university and the School of Music and as a gift to the community,” Lamb said. “It’s really a celebration that the pandemic’s kind of over for us.”

This year’s band will rehearse one time before they perform at the concert. The Concert in the Park will be the band’s first live outdoor performance without facemasks and social distancing. 

The Concert in the Park is one of the eight LibertyFest events. LibertyFest’s events include the fireworks display at Hafer Park on July 4. The grand finale is the largest fireworks display in the Oklahoma City metro area, according to LibertyFest’s website. The fireworks will be synchronized to music played on UCentral Radio, KZUC 99.3.