An evening of patriotic music and American classics by Westchester’s premier orchestra and a dazzling fireworks display is in store at the Kensico Dam Music Fest with the Westchester Philharmonic on Thursday, July 3 at the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.

The Westchester Philharmonic is a nationally recognized professional orchestra that has served the county’s culturally diverse population and provided an artistic outlet for the area’s composers and performers for more than 20 years.

Kensico Dam Plaza will open at 5 p.m. for pre-concert picnicking. The band "Stages" will kick off the evening's festivities at 6 p.m. performing hit music from the past decades and the Philharmonic performance will begin at 8 p.m. under the direction of special guest conductor, Alondra de la Parra, the first woman from Mexico to conduct in New York City.

De la Parra is a critically acclaimed, 27-year-old Mexico City native, who has gained a reputation as one of the most compelling conductors of her generation. At age 22, she became the first woman from Mexico to conduct in New York City and a year later, she founded the New York-based Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas.

"We are so honored to be able to host in Westchester this fabulous conductor who has received such great reviews around the world. To have her sharing the stage with our own well-loved Philharmonic, based right here, will make this a night to long remember,” said County Executive Andy Spano. “This is a great opportunity for residents to experience a top-notch symphony performance while celebrating Independence Day.”

The evening's Music Fest program will feature patriotic favorites such as Sousa’s Stars & Stripes Forever and the Star Spangled Banner as well as Danzon No. 2, a work by renowned Mexican composer Arturo Marquez and nicknamed the second national anthem of Mexico. The orchestra will also play selections from Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera’s Dances from Estancia, as well as the pulsating Latin rhythms of American composer Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story Medley. German composer Antonin Dvorak’s New World Symphony, known best for its famed English horn solo heard in the movie Clear and Present Danger, and Aaron Copland’s famous Fanfare for the Common Man are on the bill too.

Fireworks will follow the music at approximately 9:15 p.m.

Admission and parking are free. Carpooling is suggested. Seating is informal; concert-goers should bring blankets or folding chairs. Refreshments will be sold at the concession stand. The event will be held rain or shine.

The Kensico Dam Music Fest is presented by Westchester County Parks and sponsored by Commerce Bank, radio stations 100.7 WHUD and 107.1 The Peak, The Westchester Arts Council and Friends of Westchester County Parks, Inc.

Kensico Dam Plaza is located at the north end of the Bronx River Parkway in Valhalla. Parking is limited and car-pooling is recommended.

The plaza is accessible to the disabled with assistance.

For more information, call County Parks at (914) 864-PARK. For general information on Westchester County Parks, go to www.westchestergov.com/parks. While there, click on the Join Now link to subscribe to the Parks E-Club, a weekly e-mail update about upcoming county park events and activities.