I couldn’t disagree more with Margot McCain’s letter to the editor of July 3, in which she wrote, “Thank you, Portland Symphony Orchestra, but I’m glad we’re giving it a rest.”

Live orchestral music on the Eastern Prom, performed by the PSO both before and during the dazzling fireworks display, had become one of the single most iconic Independence Day celebrations in the nation. Without the PSO, the event is diminished.

If the concern is over patriotism in this troubling President Trump era, then of course I share those uneasy feelings. But isn’t it interesting that July Fourth celebrates a declaration that codified the basic rights of one human (or group of humans) to rally, protest and revolt against the oppression of a despot?

I am more patriotic today than I was two years ago because of my right to protest, to kneel (if I so choose) during the national anthem, and to rail against injustices I believe are happening in our government, our civic interactions and our culture.

I can love the country while being furious at current leadership. I can sing “America the Beautiful” and have goose bumps while fully recognizing the ugliness of current problems. I can mourn what is while working harder to aspire to what can be.

(And that, by the way, means “vote in November”!)

All of this is made better with the uniquely unifying power of live music.

For nearly a decade, the Portland Symphony Orchestra has been raising spirits on July Fourth, in one of the most beautiful settings in America.

May this be the only year without the PSO; bring it back!

Robert Moody

music director, Portland Symphony Orchestra, 2008-2018

Memphis, Tenn.

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