Kennedy Space Center Holding Special Atlantis Concert

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space Shuttle Atlantis, the largest and most comprehensive attraction in the world devoted to the U.S. Space Shuttle Program, will resonate with the inspiring sounds of  “Symphonic Odyssey” performed by the Brevard Symphony Orchestra (BSO) on March 22 at 8 p.m. In a first-of-its-kind concert, the BSO will celebrate its 60th season with an evening of space-related and -inspired music performed beneath the historic orbiter in the $100 million, 90,000-square-foot Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction, which opened in 2013.

“We are proud to welcome the Brevard Symphony Orchestra to Space Shuttle Atlantis for this truly unique concert experience,” said Therrin Protze, Visitor Complex chief operating officer. “This will be the first time that such iconic music will be heard in this setting. We expect that the sound of the orchestra will reflect off the large surface of Space Shuttle Atlantis, creating an added acoustical sensation.”

The concert will feature Christopher Confessore, BSO musical director and principal conductor, conducting 60 professional musicians performing such music as Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra” fanfare and Johann Strauss, Jr.’s “The Blue Danube Waltz,” both of which are familiar to fans of the film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Other selections include “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” compositions by John Williams. A concert highlight will be a special performance of “The Last Starfighter Overture,” created recently by composer Craig Safan specifically for the “Symphonic Odyssey” concert.

Winston Scott, former astronaut and dean of the College of Aeronautics at Florida Institute of Technology, will make a special guest appearance during the concert to speak with the audience and share his experiences as a shuttle astronaut and his connections with music.

The concert is a fundraiser benefiting the BSO. General admission tickets are $150 per person and VIP admission is $250 per person. Those purchasing VIP admission tickets will receive dinner prior to the performance and reserved concert seating. VIP dinner seating begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Dr. Kurt H. Debus Conference Facility at the Visitor Complex. All guests at this history-making concert will receive a commemorative gift package as well as admission into Space Shuttle Atlantis. A cash bar will be available during the concert and doors will open at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit www.brevardsymphony.com or call the BSO office at 321-242-2024.

Space Shuttle Atlantis features the historic spacecraft as only astronauts have seen it before – rotated 43.21 degrees with payload bay doors open and its Canadarm (robotic arm) extended, as if it has just undocked from the International Space Station. The immersive experience invites guests to “be the astronaut” with never-before-seen, technologically sophisticated multimedia presentations and more than 60 interactive, touch-screen experiences and high-tech simulators that bring to life the people, passion and patriotism of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program, as well as the complexity and magnitude of the engineering marvel that launched like a rocket, flew in orbit like a spacecraft and landed on a runway like a glider.