ERA OF ABBA, LEGENDS OF ROCK and More Set for The Philly POPS' 2014-15 Season

Music Director and Conductor Michael Krajewski, the nationally recognized Pops conductor who performs with orchestras throughout the country, brings back his innovative programming and lighthearted approach with the 2014-2015 concert season of The Philly POPS. Encore Series, Inc, the presenter of The Philly POPS, is pleased to introduce this exciting series of concerts which begins in October, 2014 with the Era of ABBA, followed by Classic Soul. It continues with a salute to the American Songbook Then and Now and a visit to the movies with Epic Hollywood Soundtracks. The season ends with the Legends of Rock.

Krajewski planned this season true to his vision of The Philly POPS, "I want every Philly POPS concert to be a joyous experience, one that brings a smile to faces, that evokes fond memories and lifts spirits. The 2014-15 season does all that and more with a wide variety of music - Top 40's hits, movie soundtracks, classic rock, smooth soul, American songbook standards, and much more - performed live by the incomparable Philly POPS."

The Philly POPS concerts will continue to be presented in a series of Friday evenings at 8 p.m., followed by Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. at Verizon Hall of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia.

Here's the concert schedule for The Philly POPS 2014-2015 concert season:

· October 17-19, 2014 - ERA OF ABBA

Presenting heartwarming musical memories from the '70s, for this concert The Philly POPS has
re-imagined music by The Bee Gees, John Denver, Carole King, Elton John and ABBA. Guests will practically dance in their seats to a spectacular selection of ABBA music featuring Rajaton, an internationally renowned vocal ensemble direct from Finland. They'll include such songs from the Broadway smash hit Mamma Mia! as Dancing Queen and Take A Chance on Me.

· CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR!

Fri., Dec. 5 at 8 p.m., Sat. Dec. 6 at 3 p.m., Sun. Dec. 7 at 3 p.m., Wed. Dec. 10 at 8 p.m., Sat., Dec. 13 at 3 p.m., Sun. Dec. 14 at 3 and 7 p.m., Wed. Dec. 17 at 8 p.m., Fri., Dec. 19 at 3 p.m., Sat. Dec. 20 at 3 p.m.

Celebrated conductor David Charles Abell returns "by popular demand" with vocalist Hugh Panaro, Philadelphia native who currently plays the role of the Phantom in Broadway's Phantom of the Opera. Of course, the expected variety of extraordinary choirs including The POPS Festival Chorus make this Philadelphia tradition a true Christmas spectacular!

· February 6-8, 2015 - CLASSIC SOUL

With a beautiful blend of powerful sounds and soulful voices, the Philly POPS Orchestra and award-winning guest vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Darius de Haas perform classic songs from R&B legends like Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, James Brown, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. They will be singing such popular songs as Natural Woman, Let's Stay Together, Proud Mary, You Are Everything, Respect, and I Heard it through the Grapevine.

· March 13-15, 2015 - AMERICAN SONG BOOK THEN AND NOW

Internationally acclaimed vocalist, pianist, and composer Tony DeSare provides a fresh take on
old-school classics when he performs with The Philly POPS playing standards with his unique contemporary approach from Frank Sinatra and Billy Joel to Jerry Lee Lewis, including Night And Day, How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved By You), Great Balls of Fire and more.

· April 10-12, 2015 - EPIC HOLLYWOOD SOUNDTRACKS

The biggest blockbuster films in cinematic history are often linked with powerful music that defines a particular moment in our lives. The POPS Festival Chorus joins the Philly POPS and music director and conductor Michael Krajewski to perform the scores of some of the most popular films of all time including Gone With the Wind, Ben Hur, Dances With Wolves, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Pixar's The Incredibles.

· May 15-17, 2015 - LEGENDS OF ROCK

The Rock Tenors -- Micah Wilshire, Rob Evan, and Shem von Schroeck -- join forces with The Philly POPS for this rock retrospective. The Philly POPS and this trio will "rock you" with their dynamic line-up of chart-topping classic hits and epic power ballads from The Beatles, The Doobie Brothers, Crosby Stills & Nash, Sting, Queen, and Coldplay. Classic rock lovers of all ages will enjoy a selection of songs that include Don't Stop Believin', We Are the Champions, Every Breath You Take, and Maybe I'm Amazed.

Bringing a whole new energy and feeling to The Philly POPS, Krajewski is a much sought-after conductor who has appeared with symphonies throughout the United States, Canada and around the world. He takes on his Philadelphia post while serving as principal pops conductor of the Houston Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony, the first to hold such a title in Atlanta.

In addition to serving as guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in the summer of 2012, he has led the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston and Cincinnati Pops, the San Francisco, Baltimore, Detroit, Indianapolis, Seattle, Dallas, St. Louis and National Symphonies, and numerous other orchestras across the United States. In Canada, he has led Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic, and the Edmonton, Winnipeg and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphonies. And, internationally his appearances include performances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra in concerts in Belfast and Dublin. He has recorded two albums with the Houston Symphony and has collaborated with such artists as flutist James Galway, Roberta Flack, Art Garfunkel, mezzo soprano Marilyn Horne and many others

Season subscriptions and individual tickets are currently for sale for all concerts of the 2014-2015 Philly POPS season. Performances take place in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center of the Performing Arts at 300 S Broad St Philadelphia, PA 19102. Tickets may be purchased through www.phillypops.org or by phone at 215-893-1999.

About The Philly POPS: Preparing to enter its 36th season, the all-NEW Philly POPS continues playing the music audiences know and love to hear. Audiences are raving about the new energy of The Philly POPS and the talent and warm personality of Maestro Michael Krajewski, Music Director and Conductor. The Philly POPS is the largest stand-alone POPS orchestra in America, performing in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, and around the tri-state region, entertaining audiences with an eclectic mix of musical genres - from Big Band to Broadway, from Gershwin to the Beatles and beyond. The Philly POPS is a founding resident company of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra boasts a blend of the most talented and best musicians from the musically rich Philadelphia region. The Philly POPS is presented by Encore Series, Inc. For more information about The Philly POPS, visit www.phillypops.org.

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