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Honoring the celebration of the Independence of the United States, Ambassador Frank E. Baxter hosted a concert at the magnificent Teatro Solis of Montevideo on Monday, June 30.

Under the direction of famous American director Stanley DeRusha with the participation of the Uruguayan soloist Enrique Graf at the piano and the special performance of Uruguayan pianist Nybia Mariño, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Montevideo presented works by Samuel Barber, Francis Poulenc and Dmitri Shostakovich. The finale featured John Phillip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever!"

Stanley DeRusha is Resident Conductor of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Director of the Pro Arte Chamber of Indianapolis. He has conducted throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America.

Enrique Graf was born in Montevideo. After winning all of the national competitions there, he went to the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University to study with Leon Fleisher on a full scholarship from the Organization of American States and the Peabody.

Uruguayan pianist Nybia Mariño was born in 1920. Her debut was at age 9 in Buenos Aires, at the renowned Teatro Colon. Throughout her vast career, she performed in major theatres across the world, including Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York.