April 21, 2016 Louisville, KY. – Thunder fans will hear this year’s fireworks soundtrack loud and clear, thanks to the help of a new sponsor. The Kentucky Derby Festival announced this morning that CareSource has just signed on as the Official Sound Sponsor for this year’s Thunder Over Louisville. Their sponsorship helps offset the costs of the sound towers and the sound feed throughout the venue.
“Being able to hear Thunder Over Louisville, is just as important as seeing it,” said Mike Berry, KDF President and CEO. “We’re very thankful to CareSource for sponsoring this important component of the show. With the Louisville Orchestra’s soundtrack this year, you’ll want to make sure you’re listening.”
There are multiple sound tower locations throughout the venue including the Belvedere, Thunder Chow Wagon, North Great Lawn, South Great Lawn, and Big Four Bridge Lawn. Plus, on the Southern Indiana side, the Festival provides a sound feed to Rocky’s, Buckhead’s and Jeffersonville’s RiverStage. Fans will hear the narration of the air show, event announcements and the fireworks soundtrack.
Thunder Officials ran their first sound check of this year’s fireworks soundtrack in the Command Center this morning. It features an original recording by the Louisville Orchestra, under the direction of Teddy Abrams. The Louisville Orchestra recorded pieces from over 40 well-known works by composers like Holst, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Mozart. Plus, songs from My Morning Jacket, Katy Perry and Michael Jackson are included in the song line-up. The Collegiate Chorale from the University of Louisville’s School of Music also performs with the Orchestra in the soundtrack.
Said Teddy Abrams, Louisville Orchestra Music Director, “One of my first introductions to Louisville right as I started as Music Director was Thunder Over Louisville. It was very exciting to see this community rally around an event with such enthusiasm that I instantly had the goal to get the orchestra to be a part of it somehow. This collaboration is that dream come true!”
Thunder’s fireworks show is choreographed to an original soundtrack each year. Over the years, those soundtracks have included a broad range of music from Top Ten and urban contemporary to pop and country, as well as rock’n’roll, Broadway show tunes and much more. Anywhere from 25 to up to 60 different tracks or sound effects are used to build the musical score for each soundtrack.
Thunder Over Louisville – the Derby Festival’s Opening Ceremonies – is one of the more than 70 events produced by the Derby Festival in the spring. The 2016 Thunder Over Louisville is set for Saturday, April 23. It will be the 27th annual production. Presenting sponsors are Horseshoe Southern Indiana, KentuckyOne Health, LG&E, Meijer, UPS, and Valero.
About CareSource:
CareSource is a leading, member-centric, regional nonprofit health plan serving Medicaid, Marketplace, and Medicare Advantage members in Kentucky. One of the nation’s largest managed Medicaid plans, CareSource serves more than 1.5 million members in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia. CareSource is living its mission to make a lasting difference in its members’ lives by improving their health and well-being. CareSource understands the challenges consumers face navigating the health system and works to put health care in reach for those it serves.At CareSource, our members and the communities they live in are the center of everything we do. That is why we are honored to support an important event like Thunder Over Louisville, which is an institution in Louisville.
