The Oakland East Bay Symphony, the Craneway Pavilion, and the City of Richmond Present TARGET INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION Tonight

The Oakland East Bay Symphony, the Craneway Pavilion, located inside the historic Ford Point Building on the waterfront in Richmond, and the City of Richmond will again join forces to host a family-friendly Target Independence Day Celebration led by the Oakland East Bay Symphony and Music Director Michael Morgan tonight, July 3.

The evening will also include pre-performance entertainment, food and fireworks. Craneway Pavilion, located on 25 waterfront acres, delivers spectacular views of the San Francisco skyline, with floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the entire event space as well as a 20,000 square foot patio, perfect for viewing the City of Richmond's firework display. The event is free to the public and in the six years since its inception has become one of the Bay Area's most popular and talked-about Independence Day Celebrations, made possible thanks to the generous support of Target. Parking will be available beginning at 5 pm and access to the Craneway Pavilion and Wharf will begin at 6:30 pm. In addition to the title sponsor, Target, concert sponsors include the City of Richmond and Chevron, Mechanics Bank is a contributing sponsor and KDFC is the media sponsor. For more information, visit www.oebs.org or www.craneway.com.

Following pre-concert live music featuring performances by top local music groups. At 8 p.m. the Oakland East Bay Symphony, conducted by Music Director Michael Morgan, will begin its set of patriotic, spirited works to celebrate America's Independence Day including film music by John Williams, a Disney medley, Sousa marches, Jeff Beal's House of Cards Suite, music from The Sound of Music and more with plenty of audience sing-along opportunities. The City of Richmond's Firework Display will launch over the water just as the Symphony closes its program. The evening will be hosted by KDFC Radio's Dianne Nicolini.

The Craneway Pavilion is located at 1414 Harbour Way South in the Marina district of Richmond and can be accessed from the 580 freeway. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Guests are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs.

Also on site is the new Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front NHP Visitor Education Center honoring the millions of women who worked for the Home Front. Many of these pioneering "Rosies" toiled in the historic Ford Assembly Building at Richmond's Ford Point. The Visitor Center will stay open until 8:00pm on July 3rdso that those attending the Target Independence Day celebration can spend time in the facility. This one of a kind center will include displays from across the country as well as presentations from local organizations including the Richmond Museum of History, The East Bay Performing Arts Center, The Regional Oral History Office (Bancroft Library), The Richmond Art Center and Historic Richmond Japanese American Nurseries. This exhibit is on display temporarily. The permanent exhibit just opened in the Spring of 2014. Rosie the Riveter made her first appearance in 1943 in a patriotic ad campaign and has since become an iconic cultural symbol representing the strength and determination of women everywhere striving for equality in all walks of life.

The Craneway will offer an Independence Day themed concession menu. The adjacent restaurant,Assemble, will feature full-menu dining beginning at 5pm and remain open prior to and during the July 3rdevent until 10 pm. Reservations are highly recommended. Beer, wine and additional beverages will be available. No outside liquor will be permitted.

Oakland East Bay Symphony at 25

A unique and dynamic blend of high-caliber performances and innovative programing, a following as diverse as its home base, promotion and partnership with young musicians and composers and a roster of guest artists ranging from top classical soloists to Carlos Santana and Joan Baez set Oakland East Bay Symphonyapart as it celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2013-2014. The Symphony is a nationally recognized orchestra that serves the diverse population of the East Bay and greater San Francisco Bay Area. Together with the Oakland Youth Orchestra and Oakland Symphony Chorus it operates as a unified organizational entity providing performances and music education to youth and adults.

Oakland East Bay Symphony has gained wide recognition for its compelling convergence of artistic excellence and community engagement as exemplified by Music Director Michael Morgan's expansive and inclusive programming philosophy that is regarded as a national model for re-defining symphony orchestras' artistic profiles and, especially, their relevance to the communities they serve. On any given Oakland East Bay Symphony season, masterworks of the standard repertory are presented in masterfully crafted programs that also include new and less well-known works by composers of non-Western traditions and exceptional works from the musical theater world, all delivered with humor and a casual sophistication that draws audiences from all age groups and backgrounds.

Under the artistic leadership of Maestro Morgan, Symphony activities reach over 50,000 people annually, with more than one-third of the operating budget dedicated to education and outreach programs. These programs include several acclaimed engagement programs under the umbrella of the MUSE (Music for Excellence) Program: In-School Mentor and Instrumental Instruction, Young People's Concerts, Ensembles in the Schools, Young Artist Competition, Free Ticket Distribution and regular school visits by Michael Morgan and other musicians. These programs serve over 20,000 young people each year.

Oakland East Bay Symphony was incorporated in July 1988 through the efforts of the Oakland Symphony Musicians Association and the Oakland Symphony League. Michael Morgan was appointed Music Director in 1990. Concerts were performed at the Calvin Simmons Theatre until moving to the Paramount Theatre in the 1994-95 season. The Symphony's growth has resulted in such landmarks as the addition of the American Masterworks Series including concert performances of Bernstein's Mass, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and Sondheim's Follies; the "Notes from" series of programs featuring music from non-Western traditions; the annual "Let Us Break Bread Together" that expands the definition of holiday concert; and numerous awards including ASCAP's Award for Adventurous Programming in 2006.

Oakland East Bay Symphony has fostered collaborations with local arts organizations from children's choruses to jazz ensembles to dance and opera companies and museums. The Symphony showcases new American works in performance and encourages young artists. In its efforts to support new music, the Symphony formed a multi-year partnership with The James Irvine Foundation in 1998 to initiate various commissioning projects including the newly established New Visions/New Vistas initiative. For five years, the Symphony has presented a free Independence Day concert and celebration at Richmond's Craneway Pavilion with more than 5,000 attendees annually.

About the Craneway Pavilion

Craneway Pavilion is a world-class and sustainably designed event, concert and production facility centrally located in one of the planet's most iconic destinations. Located on 25 waterfront acres, Craneway Pavilion delivers awe-inducing views of the San Francisco skyline and surrounding environs-matched only by the inventive programming and infrastructure options available inside.

As state-of-the-art as it is historic, Craneway Pavilion offers an expansive 45,000 square ft facility in an architecturally significant building dating back to 1932. It also features an adjoining, 20,000 square-foot open-air wharf patio, seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor environments for the best of both worlds. Craneway's unparalleled atmosphere and amenities set the stage for special occasions, meetings and cultural highlights-of every size and every stripe-that are as unforgettable as San Francisco itself.