La Cañada Presbyterian Church choir and full orchestra present Americana 2025: The Dream Lives On on Sunday, June 29 at 2 p.m. Featuring a cast of over 120 singers and instrumentalists, the concert salutes America, its veterans and the nation’s rich musical heritage. A highlight of the program will be the presentation of The Dream Lives On – A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers for orchestra, choir and four narrators by Peter Boyer.   

The Dream Lives On pays tribute to the call to public service, drive for social change and legacy of optimism for America’s future epitomized by the three Kennedy brothers. The work combines quotes from speeches by the Kennedy brothers and original text with a dramatic orchestral-choral score. Featured actors are Chris Erskine as JFK, Paul Song as RFK, Cheyenne Wilbur as Teddy and Kathy Purdy as the female interlocutor.  

The concert opens with the iconic John Williams arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” featuring Tamara Bevard accompanied by the choir and orchestra.  Familiar favorites include “America the Beautiful” in Ray Charles style, a salute to cowboys and cowgirls with musical and video excerpts from “Rawhide” and John Wayne’s “The Cowboys.” Other familiar songs include “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” “Shenandoah,” “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come,” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” The concert includes a salute to American farmers who fill the breadbasket of the world, a salute to small towns across America, a recognition of the nation’s African-American heritage and Christian heritage.  

An annual concert highlight is the salute to the nation’s veterans and all those who have served in uniform in the “Armed Forces Salute.” This year the concert will also salute military service dogs, the unsung heroes that play a pivotal supporting role alongside the combat troops.  

Award winning humor columnist and author Chris Erskine, a local resident, will serve as special guest and narrator for the presentation.  

Prior to the concert, at 1:30 p.m., Jack Lantz, LCPC’s director of Music & Worship Arts, will present a pre-concert talk on the Kennedy legacy.  

The concert is free. La Cañada Presbyterian Church is located at 626 Foothill Blvd. For those who cannot attend in-person, the concert and pre-concert lecture will be live-streamed. To watch online visit live.lacanadapc.org.