Kelli O’Hara, Adrienne Warren, & More to Perform in America 250 Celebration
Broadcast live from the capital of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area, the special will premiere live, Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. on PBS.
Tony winners Kelli O'Hara, Adrienne Warren, and Michael Feinstein are set to perform in America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together, a new special in celebration of the nation’s Semiquincentennial.
The two-hour broadcast will blend live performance, music, historic interpretation, and large-scale visual spectacle in a national event that aims to connect the nation’s founding to the present day while celebrating the ideas, people, and defining moments that gave rise to the United States.
Broadcast live from the capital of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area, the event will premiere live, Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. on PBS.
Other confirmed performers are Grammy Award-winning opera bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Judy Collins. The special will also feature narration by Tony and Golden Globe nominee and Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas and a special greeting from acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
Additional highlights include “The Heartbeat of Freedom,” with Indigenous, West African and English Colonial drums coming together as one and a dramatic presentation of excerpts from the Declaration of Independence by a cast representing key historic figures, including Thomas Jefferson, Martha Washington and James Lafayette, an enslaved Virginian who won his freedom as a Revolutionary War double agent.
The event also features the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums and includes the world premiere of “Through a Window,” performed by Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, the Virginia Chorale, and Ryan Speedo Green, with inspiring images created by 400 synchronized drones. The finale will feature a fireworks display accompanied by classic American favorites as recorded by the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band.
America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together is made possible by Virginia’s American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in association with PBS. Carly Fiorina is the executive producer, William Schermerhorn is the artistic director, and Donna Smeland is the executive in charge of production. The show is co-produced by Allen Newman and William Schermerhorn. Zachary Nial is the broadcast director, and the show is written by William Schermerhorn. Tedd Firth is the music director. Zara Frankel is the executive in charge for PBS.
Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas
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