BSO NOW Presents First-Ever Livestream: Boston Pops Valentine's Day Concert Led by Keith Lockhart

The BSO NOW streaming platform-launched in November-will present its first-ever livestreaming event from Symphony Hall on February 12, at 8 p.m. The program will feature the Boston Pops Orchestra and conductor Keith Lockhart in a Valentine's Day-inspired program titled Boston Pops in Love. The program features classic musical selections inspired by love and romance, dance performances from the inventive Boston-based companies Hybridmotion (right), Lakaï Dance Theatre, and Subject:Matter, and a virtual performance by the Melody in Motion Ensemble from Boston Arts Academy. Boston Pops in Love will stream live on BSO NOW, the streaming platform of the BSO, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood, at www.bostonpops.org/inlove, after which a recording will be available for on-demand viewing for 30 days.

For the February 12, 8 p.m. livestream, Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart will lead the orchestra in an evening of music and dance on themes of love. The concert will feature performances from three exciting Boston-based dance companies: dancers from Hybridmotion will perform a pandemic-inspired tango, choreographed by Jun Kuribayashi and Mia Dalglish, to Gade's "Jalousie"; Lakaï Dance Theatre will perform, with choreography by its artistic director, McKersin (left), to pieces from Bizet's Carmen and de Falla's El Amor brujo; and dancers from Subject:Matter will bring their style, inspired by the history and tradition of tap in Boston, to the music of Fats Waller, with choreography by Ian Berg. Boston Arts Academy's Melody in Motion Ensemble will feature in a virtual choral performance, with director Molly Jo Rivelli and an instrumental ensemble of BAA faculty. Other highlights of this wide-ranging program include Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady," Puccini's "Che gelida manina" (from La Bohème), and Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, as well as love themes from the scores of John Williams (right); a medley of romantic songs by Gershwin; and an archival performance accompanied by a new film by Susan Dangel and Dick Bartlett.

Access to Boston Pops in Love can be purchased for $14 at www.bostonpops.org/inlove. Access to the concert, both livestream and recorded, can also be sent as a gift at www.bostonpops.org/giftinlove, reprising a feature that was very popular with the Boston Pops 2020 Holiday Celebration. Boston Pops in Love is sold separately from the BSO NOW access given in recognition of donations of $100 or more.

This is the first time the Boston Pops have marked the holiday with a special Valentine's concert. And while both the Pops and the BSO have presented numerous pre-recorded concerts online-including the present BSO series Music in Changing Times-Boston Pops in Love is the first concert by either orchestra that will stream live from the stage of Symphony Hall. This milestone follows the Pops' two highly successful online offerings last year: the Boston Pops 2020 Holiday Celebration (left), presented on BSO NOW, and A Boston Pops Salute to Our Heroes, including the viral-hit virtual performance of John Williams' "Summon the Heroes," broadcast on Bloomberg's television and radio outlets and simulcast on Boston Channel 7 WHDH.

STATEMENT FROM Keith Lockhart, JULIAN AND EUNICE COHEN BOSTON POPS CONDUCTOR

"All of us at the Boston Pops are thrilled to be presenting the first live online performance on our new streaming platform, BSO NOW.

"For our first-ever Valentine's Day concert, the orchestra will be joined by dancers from three incredibly creative Boston-based dance companies-Hybridmotion, LakaÏ Dance Theatre, and Subject:Matter-spanning a broad spectrum of styles, including tango and tap, and illustrating the music through movement and expressions of love. From the romantic melodies of Puccini and Tchaikovsky to beloved songs and themes of Ellington, Waller, and John Williams, we promise our online fans a wide-ranging evening of captivating music and dance.

"We hope our Boston Pops in Love program will bring comfort, joy, and inspiration-and be a bellwether of better months ahead for everyone."

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