Copious Notes

Scott Terrell leads a rehearsal of the Lexington Philharmoinic Orchestra before the October 2008 audition concert that ultimately won him the job. Photo by Rich Copley | LexGo.

After Scott Terrell was named the new music director of the Lexington Philharmonic, most people, even the orchestra staff, figured the next time we’d see him would be in September for a gala season opener.

But Terrell had different ideas.

The conductor will be on the podium next weekend as the Philharmonic plays its annual Fourth of July concerts in Lexington Friday Night at Transylvania University and Versailles Saturday night at Woodford County Park.

“I was here, I was available, and it’s a big community event,” Terrell said from his Lexington home. “I thought it was an appropriate way to introduce myself.”

It’s also going to be a chance for Terrell to introduce a bit of his musical sensibility.

“There are going to be the traditional things that have always been there,” Terrell says. “But we’re also going to look at the breadth of American music, and what that means.”

What that means in this concert is we will hear some classic American tunes such as the Shaker melody, Simple Gifts; we’ll hear classic movie themes such as Henry Mancini’s for The Pink Panther and Lalo Schifrin’s Mission: Impossible theme; we’ll hear classic show tunes from Lerner and Lowe and standards from Cole Porter.

“While it is patriotic in parts, the broader scope is Americana,” Terrell says.

There will be numerous patriotic concert standbys, including the Star-Spangled Banner, My Old Kentucky Home and Stars and Stripes Forever.

But Terrell said he saw the concerts as chances to, “reshape that program, and usher in a new era.”

Thus far, Terrell says he’s received a good reaction from people in the orchestra and concert presenters who have seen the program.

Terrell has been putting the program together at the same time he has been moving to Lexington from Charleston, S.C., where he lived as resident conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

He has also been solidifying the program for the Philharmonic’s upcoming 2009-10 season. Some noteworthy additions include:

■ Irish tenor Ronan Tynan in an Oct. 10 concert that will be part of the Alltech Fortnight Festival.

■ Acclaimed violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg in an April 17 concert to benefit UK HealthCare.

Information on those concerts and all upcoming Philharmonic events will be available at the Fourth concerts, which are some of the Philharmonic’s biggest events of the year.

“I wanted to do it, and that’s the bottom line,” Terrell said of the concerts. “It’s too much fun and too much of a community event not to take part.”

If you are inclined to stay up until 1:30 in the morning, you may have seen this little preview of Hank Williams Jr.’s Fourth of July appearance here next week, plus a surprisingly credible rendition of Bocephus’ Family Tradition by Late Night host Jimmy Fallon. You get the feeling if Jimmy lived out the song a bit more before Hank called him over, he may have really killed that number. Anyway, it is a fun way to spend three minutes and change.

It seems we will get an early look at the new music director of the Lexington Philharmonic.

Scott Terrell. Photo by David Stephenson | LexGo.com.

According a release from Lexington’s Fourth of July Festival, Scott Terrell will have the baton for the Philharmonic’s annual patriotic concert at 8 p.m. July 3 on the steps of Transylvania University’s Old Morrison Hall. Terrell was named music director of the Philharmonic in April, after a more-than-two-year search for a successor to George Zack. Terrell will begin conducting his first season with the Philharmonic in September, but the patriotic concert will be his first appearance in one of the Philharmonic’s highest profile events.

The patriotic concert is one of the orchestra’s most popular public concerts, along with the annual Kentucky Christmas Chorus at Rupp Arena.

Patrons are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs and arrive early to enjoy pre-concert entertainment including the Young at Heart Jazz Band, which will begin playing at 5:30 p.m. in Gratz Park, across from Old Morrison, and an instrument petting zoo for children.

Admission is free.