BOSTON (WHDH) - Tom Rolfs has been playing the trumpet solo for John Williams’ piece “Summon the Heroes” for two decades, but it’s carrying a special meaning for him this year.
Rolfs is the principal trumpet in the Boston Pops’ virtual performance of the piece, which was originally composed for the 1996 Summer Olympics and is part of the Pops’ program for its virtual July 4th performance.
“I’ve been playing it for 20 years and there’s something about it that I’m still so moved by,” Rolfs said, adding the coronavirus pandemic has given it extra resonance.
“Everything that we play – there’s some kind of emotional connotation or some kind of relevancy to life that’s happening around us and how we feel inside and during that solo that’s absolutely what i’m thinking about,” Rolfs said, saying his performance, and the entire show, is dedicated to essential workers. “Our little gesture here seems small in context of the amazing job that all these people have done.”
Even though the show is different than previous years’ live performances, Rolfs said he hopes it still brings people together.
“The community needs this,” Rolfs said. “We need this. We all need this.”
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