Operation Song

Operation Song is coming to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, November 1, for a culminating performance honoring veterans, active duty service members, and military families from the Tampa Bay community. It's a one-night show at the TECO Theater, located at 1010 N Macinnes Pl in Tampa.

What makes this different from a standard concert is how the music gets made. The performance is the result of a partnership with Operation Song®, where participants work with professional songwriters to turn their own personal stories into original music. The songs aren't written for them; they're written with them, and they're based on the participants' own experiences with service, sacrifice, family, transition, and resilience. Those original songs are what you'll hear performed live on stage.

Because the music comes from the people on stage, the set is built around their stories rather than a setlist of covers or pre-existing hits. The performance brings together veterans, active duty members, and military families from right here in the Tampa Bay area, so the voices you'll hear are from people in the community. It's a culminating event, meaning it's the final stage of a process that starts with a story and ends with a song performed in front of a live audience.

It all happens on Sunday, November 1, at the TECO Theater within the Straz Center, 1010 N Macinnes Pl, Tampa, FL 33602. If you've got a connection to the military community or just want to hear some original music written by people telling their own stories, this is the one to keep on your radar.