A free concert called Symphony of Service will fill the flight deck of the USS Yorktown on Veterans Day, running from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. The afternoon pairs choral and orchestral music with remarks from a retired Marine Corps general who received the nation's highest military honor.
The Charleston Men's Chorus opens the program at 2 p.m., followed by the Charleston Symphony's brass and percussion section from 3 to 4 p.m. with a set tracing the history of American military music, led by Yuriy Bekker, according to The Post and Courier. Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, a Medal of Honor recipient and retired U.S. Marine Corps major general, will give remarks as an honored guest following the musical performances, per WCBD News 2. The event was first reported locally by WCBD News 2.
Concert admission is included with regular admission to Patriots Point, and U.S. military veterans, active-duty personnel and their immediate family members will receive complimentary general museum admission on Veterans Day, according to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. Parking fees are charged separately from general admission and event tickets, the museum notes.
Seating, Access and a Weather Backup Plan
Seating for 400 will be available on the flight deck on a first-come, first-served basis, with additional standing room, the Holy City Sinner reports. Guests are encouraged to arrive early, and Patriots Point opens at 10 a.m., according to the same outlet's report. If the weather turns, the concert will move indoors to the Smokey Stover Theater aboard the ship, where capacity will be limited, per that account.
Accessibility accommodations are built into the plan: an elevator provides access to the flight deck, and wheelchairs and golf cart rides to the ship are available at no cost, according to Friends of Fisher House Charleston. The concert was announced jointly by Friends of Fisher House Charleston, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, the Charleston Symphony and the Charleston Men's Chorus, The Post and Courier reported.
Donations Support Families at the VA Hospital
Community donations collected at the event will help Friends of Fisher House Charleston keep families together during treatment, the organizations said. Fisher House Charleston provides veteran and military families lodging at no cost while a loved one receives care at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, according to the same announcement reported by The Post and Courier.
Patriots Point's broader Veterans Day lineup extends beyond the flight-deck concert. A separate Post and Courier report described the day's celebration as including live music, military presentations and a performance by The Citadel's Summerall Guards at 1:30 p.m. That same report confirmed that military veterans receive free admission on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
