Stephanie J. Block, Julia Murney, et al. to Perform with Boston Pops in June

Continuing a 125-year tradition of bringing the best American music to audiences in New England and across the country, the legendary Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart present a spring season brimming with a rich variety of American popular music and favorite light classics, May 11 - June 26, at Symphony Hall in Boston, MA. A kaleidoscope of American musical styles, including jazz, bluegrass, Dixieland, country, gospel, pop, rhythm & blues, and the show-stopping songs of Broadway and Hollywood, will be featured during the 2011 Boston Pops Season, as the orchestra performs many of the most celebrated styles of our national musical legacy. The season showcases the phenomenal talents of musical theater greats Linda Eder, Julia Murney, and New York Pops conductor Steven Reineke; Boston Pops Gospel Night conductor Charles Floyd; film music master and Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams; jazz trumpeter and vocalist Byron Stripling; bluegrass king Ricky Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder; Ray Charles protégé Ellis Hall; pop music all-star Kenny Loggins; New Orleans jazz ambassadors Dukes of Dixieland; and the great interpreter of the American Songbook, Michael Feinstein.

With many programs drawn from the ever-evolving American Songbook, Mr. Lockhart and the Pops will also present American Icons-concerts that pay tribute to some of the great artists who compose the national repertoire and give voice to its songs. These programs will include works by distinctly American composers including Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cab Calloway, Mahalia Jackson, and Louis Armstrong.

"OVER THE RAINBOW" NATIONAL SING-ALONG COLLAGE

To pay respect to the shared cultural heritage of the American Songbook, the Boston Pops is asking for video submissions of fans singing "Over the Rainbow" for inclusion in a video collage to be shown at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. Voted number one on the RIAA and NEA's "Songs of the Century" list, Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow" is an American Songbook selection that unites generations and ties the 2011 Spring Pops Season together-from the Opening Night Judy Garland tribute to the finale "Triple Crown" performance celebrating America's Heartland. The signature Boston Pops sing-along has long been an audience favorite, so this year the orchestra is opening the sing-along to a national choir. Participants of all ages can submit video of themselves singing "Over the Rainbow," by adding a video to YouTube and emailing a link and contact info to overtherainbow@bso.org. Videos will be featured on the Boston Pops YouTube channel, on the Boston Pops website www.bostonpops.org, and at Boston Pops performances throughout the season. All video submissions are due by Saturday, April 30, 2011.

BOSTON POPS OFFERS NEW DISCOUNT TICKET PROGRAMS

The Boston Pops will offer a College Card ticket program for the 2011 Spring Season. Available for $25 to students with a valid college ID, a College Card allows students to see performances at no additional charge. Subject to availability, one ticket per card will be available for Spring Pops performances with the exception of the College Nights, May 13, 20, and 24, and June 8 and 11. Students with a College Card from the 2010-11 Boston Symphony Season may use this card. Thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor, $20 tickets are also available for patrons under 40 years of age on a first-come, first-served basis. These 20-under-40 tickets will not be available for the College Nights, May 13, 20, and 24, and June 8 and 11. In addition, a limited number of $9 rush tickets will be available for Tuesday and Wednesday night concerts with the exception of May 24. These tickets are one per person, cash only, and available starting at 5 PM at the Symphony Hall box office on the evening of a concert.

BOSTON POPS 2011 SEASON PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS WEEK BY WEEK, MAY 11-JUNE 18

WEEK ONE, MAY 11-14

OPENING NIGHT, MAY 11

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops kick off the 2011 Spring Pops Season on Wednesday, May 11, with a gala Opening Night tribute to the music of Judy Garland featuring Broadway darling Linda Eder. Ms. Eder's brilliant vocals are showcased on her new CD Now, which hits stores just before the start of the Pops season on March 1, 2011. She will be heard in full force on Opening Night at Pops, sharing favorites such as "By Myself," "Me and My Shadow," "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," and "Over the Rainbow." The May 11 festivities will include a complimentary pre-concert reception, complete with chilled champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Keith and Linda repeat the inaugural program on May 12 and 13.

FAMILY CONCERT (May 14)

The Boston Pops swing open the doors of Symphony Hall to all on May 14, for a matinee Family Concert led by conductor Keith Lockhart. Appropriate for children of all ages, this concert will introduce young people to the best music of the Boston Pops, including light classical, Broadway, jazz, and patriotic tunes. The program will include youth-friendly selections from Harry Potter, Star Wars, and ET. Children will also be introduced to the music of Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, and Mahalia Jackson, when charismatic trumpeter and vocalist Byron Stripling steps on the stage to pay tribute to these three great icons of American music. Aspiring young musicians are also certain to be inspired when the high school winner of the BSO's Youth Concerto Competition performs a piece with the Pops.

WEEK TWO, MAY 17-21

MARDI GRAS IN MAY WITH THE DUKES OF DIXIELAND (May 17 & 18)

Mardi Gras comes twice this year thanks to Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. Audiences will be transported around the world in a performance of music from Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro. Dvo?ák's "Carnival Overture" and other light classical pieces open the concert, and the intoxicating bossa-nova and Samba rhythms from Brazil take a prominent role with tunes such as "Theme from Black Orpheus" and "Brazil," during the second set. The Dukes of Dixieland fuse their authentic New Orleans sound with the Pops for the program's energetic close.

WEEK THREE, MAY 24-28

CLASSIC POPS (May 24)

Continuing a 125-year tradition, this Classic Pops concert taps into the Pops legacy for an Arthur Fiedler-style concert of Broadway, jazz, and light classical music. Some of Leroy Anderson's most popular tunes will be featured, and audiences will be invited to join in a "Howlin' at the Moon" sing-along, including "Fly Me to the Moon," Moon River," and "Bad Moon Rising."

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD AND A TRIBUTE TO Audrey Hepburn (May 25, 26, & 28)

John Williams may be known for his famous film scores including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter, but he's also written many orchestral works that showcase the talented musicians of the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops. On May 25, the first night of the Boston Pops Laureate Conductor's three performances at Symphony Hall, Mr. Williams will present the world premiere of his Concerto for Oboe, written especially for principal Pops oboist Keisuke Wakao. Film footage will be featured alongside the Hollywood scores during much of the second half of the performance. In addition to a special tribute to Audrey Hepburn, this program will feature a tribute to the heroes of film, including the Suite from Casablanca, and music inspired by the villains of the silver screen including selections from Dracula, and the "Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes Back.

WEEK FOUR, MAY 31 - JUNE 4

Michael Feinstein AND THE AMERICAN SONGBOOK (May 31 & June 1)

Michael Feinstein, whose tremendous vocal talent is matched with an archivist's instinct, will join Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops on May 31 and June 1 for an exploration of America's beloved songs. Known as the "Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," Mr. Feinstein will add his special voice to Boston Pops renditions of some of the best tunes from a century of great American music. This two-part program will first feature light classical pieces, such as selections from Aaron Copland's cowboy ballet Rodeo, before Mr. Feinstein brings his Rat Pack charm to the Symphony Hall stage to perform tunes from the Frank Sinatra Songbook for the second half of the performance.

2011 YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION AT THE BOSTON POPS PRESENTED BY FIDELITY INVESTMENTS, JUNE 1

Following its phenomenal success in 2009 and 2010, the Young Artists Competition presented by Fidelity Investments (formerly known as Fidelity FutureStage) returns to Symphony Hall in 2011. Created by Fidelity Investments to expand its long-standing support of the arts through music and arts education programs in local communities, the Young Artists Competition at the Boston Pops is open to full-time students grades 9 -12 attending any public high school in Boston or Cambridge. Up to four instrumental and/or vocal grand prize winners will be selected to perform at a special Boston Pops Concert on June 1 at Symphony Hall. Applications for the 2011 music competition are now available and will be accepted through March 4, 2011. For more information and application details, visit www.bostonpops.org or www.futurestage.com.

ELLIS HALL CELEBRATES AMERICAN ICONS (June 3 & 4)

A series of 2011 Pops concerts will pay tribute to American Icons, showcasing such great innovators of the American Songbook as Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, and George Gershwin. These concerts will launch with a performance featuring virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Ellis Hall on June 3 and 4. Mr. Hall will pay tribute to some of the icons of soul when the former lead singer of Tower of Power joins Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for an evening of Motown classics. As the first and only artist to sign to Ray Charles' own record label, Ellis Hall is arguably the best living artist to recall the soulful legends of rhythm and blues.

WEEK FIVE, JUNE 7 - 10

THE SWINGLE SINGERS AND THE AMERICAN SONGBOOK (June 7 - 10)

On June 7, 9, and 10, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops invite the celebrated Swingle Singers for a flip through the later pages of the American Songbook. These concerts will celebrate music from the second half of the 20th century, with a focus on "creative cool" from the '60s, '70s, and '80s, and the music of the Beatles, Billy Joel, and Joni Mitchell. This program also features a Boston Pops sing-along to include Kool and the Gang's "Celebrate" and Don McLean's "American Pie."

PRESIDENTS AT POPS (June 8)

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston's corporate community celebrate the 30th annual Presidents at Pops on Wednesday, June 8, at Symphony Hall. The BSO's largest fundraising event, Presidents at Pops is designed for Boston business leaders and their guests. Combined with its sister event, A Company Christmas at Pops, Presidents at Pops has helped to raise over $39 million since its inception in 1982. Presidents at Pops raised $900,000 last year, which was $75,000 over target, and a $1 million goal has been set for the 2011 event. Further details about this gala fundraiser, including the celebrity guest artist, will be announced at a later date.

WEEK SIX, JUNE 14 - 18

THOMAS WILKINS CELEBRATES AMERICAN ICONS (June 14 - 15)

The American Songbook would be nearly empty without the giant steps taken by the jazz greats. On June 14 and 15, Thomas Wilkins, who was recently announced as the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Youth and Family Concerts Conductor through 2013, will bring his charismatic and engaging concert leadership to a celebration of American icons Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and George Gershwin. Returning guest artist Byron Stripling lends his bold vocals and bright trumpet riffs to these swinging performances. Boston Pops principal clarinetist Thomas Martin also takes center stage for the Benny Goodman tribute.

BROADWAY AND THE AMERICAN SONGBOOK (June 16 & 17)

The Big Apple comes to Boston on June 16 and 17, when the Boston Pops welcomes New York Pops conductor Steven Reineke to the Symphony Hall podium. One of the country's leading Pops conductors, Mr. Reineke, joined by Broadway heavyweights Stephanie J. Block and Julia Murney, will perform selections from the American Songbook. Ms. Block and Ms. Murney will lend their soaring voices to some of the most popular hits from musical theater, including "Defying Gravity" and "The Wizard and I," from the musical Wicked, in which both divas played Elphaba, the leading role.

GOSPEL NIGHT AT POPS (June 18)

Charles Floyd brings the Boston Pops Gospel Choir, his all-volunteer spirit-raising chorus, for an evening of traditional and contemporary American gospel music. One of the most popular programs every year, Gospel Night delights audiences with a lively sense of passion and celebration. Charles Floyd has brought Symphony Hall to life with Gospel Night at Pops since 1994.

WEEK SEVEN, JUNE 21 - 26

AMERICAN PASTIMES WITH Kenny Loggins (June 21 & 22)

America's Orchestra honors America's favorite pastime with Grammy-winning soft rocker Kenny Loggins on June 21 and 22. Keith Lockhart will lead the Boston Pops and Mr. Loggins in a program of music from the Pops chart-topping 2009 CD The Red Sox Album. Selections will include "Casey at the Bat," "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and "Sweet Caroline," as well as some of the best film music of recent years. Kenny Loggins will also perform some of his most popular songs including "This is It," "Celebrate Me Home," and "Footloose." These performances are a sneak-peek of the Boston Pops' first ever tour of minor league baseball parks this summer from August 16 to 30. The "Hollywood Hits" tour featuring Kenny Loggins will stop at ballparks in ten cities from Birmingham, Alabama to Buffalo, New York. Please click here for additional details.

Keith Lockhart CELEBRATES AMERICAN ICONS (June 23 & 24)

America's Orchestra and Keith Lockhart celebrate the musical legacies of Richard Rodgers and George Gershwin in the 2011 Spring Pops Season's final tribute to American musical icons. The concerts' two-part program will first feature such Richard Rodgers classics as "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" and "The Sound of Music," before switching the focus to George and Ira Gershwin's prolific career with "An American in Paris" and "I Got Rhythm." Canadian soprano Kathleen Brett and actor/vocalist Ron Raines will be featured during these memorable performances.

TRIPLE CROWN WITH Ricky Skaggs & KENTUCKY THUNDER (June 25 & 26)

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder ride into Symphony Hall for a Lockhart-led Boston Pops performance featuring the music of the recent films Seabiscuit and Secretariat and classical pieces such as the William Tell overture. Expect a rousing "Call to the Post" from the trumpets to kick off this celebration of America's love of horses, through the music of the Heartland. Ricky Skaggs has stacked up fourteen Grammys for his acclaimed bluegrass and the pickers in his band Kentucky Thunder have been part of eight of these awards. Derby hats are recommended for concert attire and the celebrated Armenian soprano Hasmik Papian will also feature in the June 25 performances.

BOSTON POPS PERFORM ON THE CHARLES RIVER ESPLANADE, JULY 4

Always a summer highlight, the Pops will once again throw one of the country's largest Fourth-of-July parties on the Charles River Esplanade with a special guest artist to be announced at later date. Drawing over a half million people each year, the Boston Pops is the only ensemble of its kind that has an annual show on network television. This year will include a singing contest, details of which will be announced at a later date.

BOSTON POPS PERFORM AT TANGLEWOOD, HYANNIS, AND NANTUCKET

The Boston Pops has a full summer schedule with three concerts during the 2011 Tanglewood Season as well as performances in Hyannis, Nantucket, and on the Charles River Esplanade for the annual July 4 celebration. At Tanglewood conductor John Williams will lead a concert featuring James Taylor on Friday, July 1. Maestro Williams will also lead the orchestra during the annual Film Night on Saturday, August 20. This concert features famed actor Morgan Freeman as a guest narrator and special guest Gil Shaham on violin. Also at Tanglewood, Keith Lockhart will conduct the Pops in "A Tribute to Cole Porter" on Sunday afternoon, July 17, with Broadway vocalists Kelli O'Hara and Jason Danieley. Ms. O'Hara and Mr. Danieley rejoin the Pops on Saturday, August 6, at the Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center in Bethel Woods, NY, and on Sunday, August 7, on the Town Green in Hyannis for additional performances of the Cole Porter set. These performances will be led by conductor Robert Bernhardt. Keith Lockhart also leads the Pops under the sun on Jetties Beach in Nantucket, MA with guest performer Carly Simon on Saturday, August 13.

MINOR LEAGUE BALLPARK TOUR FEATURING Kenny Loggins

The Boston Pops' first Minor League Ballparks tour, which Keith Lockhart has called a "marriage between the worlds of music and sports," will take place August 16 - 30 at stadiums in Durham, NC; Fort Mill, SC; Lawrenceville, GA; Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN; Birmingham, AL; Buffalo, NY; Syracuse, NY; Rochester, NY; and New Britain, CT. The "Hollywood Hits" tour, featuring iconic singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, draws inspiration from three of America's favorite pastimes-baseball, movies, and rock ‘n' roll. Legendary film music themes weave the tour together, with tunes from one of the most memorable baseball films of our time, The Natural, a tribute to renowned film composer John Williams, and Kenny Loggins singing "Footloose," from the ever-popular film of the same name.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for the 2011 Boston Pops season at Symphony Hall, priced from $21-$121, go on sale at 8 AM at www.bostonpops.org and 10 AM at 617-266-1200 on March 21. All performances start at 8 PM with the exception of a 3 PM concert on May 4 and a 7:30 PM concert on June 26. Tickets for "Opening Night at Pops" on May 11 are priced from $40 to $121.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.bostonpops.org or by phone through SymphonyCharge at 617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200 , Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM (with a $5.50 handling fee for each ticket ordered online or by phone). Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Symphony Hall box office, open 10 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday, and noon to 6 PM on Saturday. On concert days during the Pops Season, the box office remains open until 8:30 PM Most major credit cards and cash are accepted at the box office. For Group Sales of 25 or more, please call 617-638-9345 or 800-933-4255 .

Ticket packages to the 30th annual Presidents at Pops, start at $5,500 and include floor and balcony tickets with a sponsor page in the evening's commemorative program book. Lead Sponsorships are available from $15,000 to $50,000, and include premium seating, full-color sponsor pages, tickets to an exclusive Pops Boat Cruise and Esplanade Concert on July 3, as well as recognition throughout the Pops season.

The Boston Symphony has a dedicated line for disabled patrons who would like to purchase tickets to BSO, Boston Pops, or Tanglewood concerts, or who need information about disability services at Symphony Hall or Tanglewood. This line can be reached by dialing 617-638-9431 . For access via TDD/TTY, please call 617-638-9289 . Patrons with disabilities can access Symphony Hall through the Cohen Wing on Huntington Avenue or through the Massachusetts Avenue entrance.

 

Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski