The sounds of traditional American music echoed off of the walls at Abbot Hall Saturday night as more than 300 area residents enjoyed the Star Spangled Pops Concert, which was meant to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.

The event, which was hosted by and benefited the Marblehead Museum & Historical Society and the Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor, featured music and readings from the Civil War era.

The Hillyer Festival Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Dirk Hillyer, performed a variety of American music meant to memorialize those who gave their lives during the Civil War.

The hall was decorated with red-white-and-blue bunting and red-white-and-blue decorations and the night began with the USS Constitution Color Guard presenting colors to the accompaniment of the Marblehead High School student-run a capella group “Serendipity” singing The Star-Spangled Banner.

Those in attendance were treated to orchestral renditions of “Shenandoah,”  “Oh Susannah!, “America the Beautiful,” and a tribute to 9/11 with John Williams' “Summon the Heroes,” described by Hillyer as “a great and spirited number celebrating the heroes among us,”  featuring Jeff Hoefler, trumpet soloist. 

The Second Act presented a look at Civil War America with “Johnny Comes Marching Home,” Stephen Foster melodies, and a reading of Abraham Lincoln's words, that "a house divided can not stand" and "our government, of the people, will never perish from the earth!" in the hauntingly magnificent “Lincoln Portrait,” by Aaron Copland, narrated by The Honorable Judge Joseph I. Dever (retired).

Proceeds from the concert are expected to benefit the philanthropic projects of the Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor and Rotary International and the programs and projects of Marblehead Museum & Historical Society.