NORFOLK, Va. - An annual celebration featuring military musicians and drill teams from around the world...is going virtual!
The 24th Virginia International Tattoo live show at Norfolk Scope may be canceled due to coronavirus, but Virginia Arts Festival is providing content to view at home starting Thursday night.
This year's theme, a Salute to the Greatest Generation, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, will remain, down to displaying submitted photos of World War II veterans.
"We were going to incorporate it in the Playbill of the show, but since we don't have a playbill, we're actually creating a video playbill that will not only share some music but also a montage of photos that people submitted," said Scott Jackson, Producer and Director of Virginia International Tattoo. "Everyone can see their hero, their member of the greatest generation as part of the virtual Tattoo."
Virtual content includes a watch party featuring the opening numbers of past Tattoo shows, Thursday night on the Virginia International Tattoo Facebook page.
On Friday, Virginia Arts Festival will air the full 2016 show on WHRO and Saturday will feature special custom content back on the Facebook page; a virtual performance with musicians from countries like Latvia, the United Kingdom and Hampton Roads.
"We have bagpipers from as far away as Scotland in the show. We also have singers from the ODU choir, the Virginia Symphony Chorus, the Virginia Children's Chorus," said Jackson.
Jackson tells News 3 that 248 musicians submitted clips of themselves performing their part in the song 'Requiem for a Soldier' from HBO's Band of Brothers.
Because clips were filmed in different environments, Jackson says editors spent a long time tinkering with audio level, building the performance online viewers will hear Saturday.
He also says some of the submitted World War II veteran photos are family members of performers so, during the performance, the clips and pictures that correspond will be displayed side-by-side as a tribute to that veteran's legacy.
The Virginia Arts Festival tells News 3 it's already planning the 2021 Virginia International Tattoo, which is expected to return to Scope Arena for its 25th anniversary celebration.
Click HERE for a full schedule of the virtual Virginia International Tattoo and to learn more about the annual show.
