R&B/Soul Group En Vogue Will Headline The 2023 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced program details of its annual July 4 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, returning to the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade with Keith Lockhart conducting the Boston Pops and an exciting lineup of guest performers. The performance—on Tuesday, July 4, 8–11 p.m.—will be broadcast live on Bloomberg TV and Radio, as well as locally on WHDH-TV Channel 7 (click here for additional tune-in details).  

 

In addition to performances by a variety of guest artists, the 2023 Fireworks Spectacular will include patriotic favorites and the perennial musical finale, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, followed by a thrilling fireworks display over the Charles River, beginning at approximately 10:30 p.m.  

 

Since 1929, the Boston Symphony's Pops Orchestra has performed its free Independence Day concert on the Esplanade, a beloved Boston tradition first conceived by Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler and carried on by John Williams, and since 1995, Keith Lockhart. A fireworks display became part of the tradition in 1974 when the late David Mugar became the event's producer until 2016. In 2017, the Pops opened a new page in the BSO's history, presenting its first self-produced Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. Read more about the event's history. 

Quote from Keith Lockhart, Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor:

“We could not be more excited about our plans for this year's Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. Performing our annual July 4 concert on the Charles River Esplanade is always a tremendous thrill and a huge honor for us, and the fantastic musical talent we've lined up will make 2023 a year to remember – and one not to miss. And, as always, the night will conclude with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and an extraordinary fireworks display over the river. On behalf of the Pops—“America's Orchestra”—and the entire Boston Symphony organization, I want to say how proud we are to host the finest, most jubilant Independence Day celebration anywhere in the country. We are grateful to our corporate sponsors, Governor Healey, the Commonwealth, and Mass DCR, as well as Mayor Wu and the City of Boston for their support and partnership and look forward to a great night of community, music, and fireworks.” 

Guest Artists Performing with the Boston Pops on July 4 

The 2023 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, showcases an impressive lineup of guest artists, including award-winning R&B/soul group En Vogue (featuring current members Grammy-nominated Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis and Rhona Bennett) as headliners. Also taking the Esplanade stage are Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez (In the Heights), country duo LOCASH (Preston Brust and Chris Lucas), and three cast members from the Pops' recent concert presentation of “Ragtime: The Symphonic Concert” (Alton Fitzgerald White, Elizabeth Stanley, and Andrea Jones-Sojola—all Broadway talents). The program includes several selections with the U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus, who also lead the traditional patriotic sing-along, which includes John Philip Sousa's “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

 

En Vogue has sold 20 million records worldwide and has won seven MTV Video Music Awards, three Soul Train Awards, and two American Music Awards, in addition to earning seven Grammy Award nominations. One of the top five highest-selling American female music groups in history, En Vogue has transitioned effortlessly into the digital age, garnering over 30 million streams and 26 million-plus YouTube views on their Top 6 hit singles alone—"Hold On,” “Free Your Mind,” “Never Gonna Get It,” “Giving Him Something He Can Feel,” “Don't Let Go,” and “Whatta Man” (featuring Salt-N-Pepa). 

 

Possessing a powerful and versatile voice, Mandy Gonzalez most recently starred as Angelica Schuyler in Lin-Manuel Miranda's mega-smash hit Hamilton and is best known for portraying Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning, Miranda Broadway musical In the Heights, a role she originally created Off Broadway at 37 Arts and received a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble. She also starred on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked, Princess Amneris in the Elton John/Tim Rice musical Aida, and multiple roles, including that of Beatles' icon John Lennon, in Lennon.  She is also the author of the Fearless series published by Simon and Schuster, which is a series of Broadway adventure novels.

 

Named “country music's iconic feel-good duo” by People, Wheelhouse Records/BMG's LoCash – Preston Brust and Chris Lucas – is “hitting homers and serving up first-class songs,” as hailed by American Songwriter. With their loud-and-proud anthem “Three Favorite Colors” as their latest release, they recently delivered back-to-back high-profile collaborations with “Let It Slide” (Leslie Jordan, Blanco Brown, LoCash) and “Beach Boys” (feat. The Beach Boys' Mike Love and Bruce Johnston). LoCash's wild-and-free Woods & Water – EP (2021) marked the follow up to Brothers (2019), featuring gold #1 “One Big Country Song.” Known for platinum breakout “I Love This Life” and their first #1 with gold “I Know Somebody,” they've earned eight charting singles, two successful albums, and over 815 million global on-demand streams since 2015. Respected entertainers with prominent recognition, they hold a history of nods from the genre's biggest awards shows including a Vocal Duo of the Year nomination at the 56th Annual CMA Awards. Last launching their extended headlining Woods & Water Tour 2022, LoCash is currently on the road with Kane Brown's Drunk or Dreaming Tour.

 

Broadway talents Alton Fitzgerald White (King Mufasa in The Lion King), Elizabeth Stanley (Mary Jane Healy in Jagged Little Pill for which she won a Grammy Award), and Andrea Jones-Sojola (The Music Man with Hugh Jackman) starred in the Boston Pops' production of “Ragtime: The Symphonic Concert” in May in Symphony Hall and will reprise their roles at Tanglewood on July 8. 

 

The U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus performs more than 100 concerts each year across the country and around the world. They have performed in all 50 states and 30 foreign countries and have produced more than 1000 video products that have reached hundreds of millions, in programming that ranges from orchestral masterworks and operatic arias to Sousa marches, Broadway musicals, and new patriotic music. Their Soundtrack of the American Soldier album was recognized in 2022 with a Grammy Award for the Best Immersive Album. 

Bloomberg On-Air Talent for the 2023 Fireworks Spectacular 

Carol Massur and Romaine Bostick of Bloomberg Television will co-host the 2023 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular performance and concert television and radio broadcasts.  

 

Click here for Artist and Ensemble Bios and Background on Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

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