Philly POPS To Celebrate 40th Anniversary With Sixth Annual POPS Ball

The Philly POPS will hold its Sixth Annual POPS Ball gala on September 13 at the Union League of Philadelphia. The Sixth Annual POPS Ball will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the POPS and its indelible impact on Philadelphia's cultural identity.

The Sixth Annual POPS Ball is the major fundraiser of the 2018-19 POPS season. Over 250 POPS supporters will enjoy a night of dinner and dancing to the POPS BIG Band led by Music Director Michael Krajewski. This performance kicks off Krajewski's final season as Music Director of the POPS. The performance will feature guest artist and vocalist Tony DeSare; POPS fans will remember DeSare from the 2015 American Songbook: Then and Now and the 2016 A Philly POPS Christmas: Spectacular Sounds of the Season shows. DeSare has three top-ten Billboard jazz albums under his belt and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, NPR, A Prairie Home Companion and the Today Show. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to Las Vegas, DeSare has brought his fresh take on old-school class around the globe.

As a part of this 40th Anniversary Celebration, the POPS will honor Harry Madonna, Chairman and CEO of Republic Bank as the Sixth Annual POPS Ball Honoree. The POPS has been banking with Republic Bank since 2011 and has experienced great success in those years. Harry Madonna has provided unprecedented support during this period of growth and renewal.

This year, Vernon W. II, Shirley and Duffy Hill will serve as the Sixth Annual POPS Ball Chairs, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf will serve as the Sixth Annual POPS Ball Honorary Chair and Frank and Dottie Giordano will serve as the Sixth Annual POPS Ball Co-Chairs.

After a 6-7:30 p.m. cocktail reception, the doors will open to the Union League ballroom as the BIG Band with trumpet Matt Gallagher plays "In The Mood." After the announcement of the Sixth Annual POPS Ball Honoree, the BIG Band and orchestral ensemble will play the original Paul Whiteman BIG Band arrangement of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," a piece that was played at the first POPS concert in 1979 and is intrinsically woven into the history of the POPS. Fittingly, Gershwin himself described the piece as a "musical kaleidoscope of America," representing our "vast melting pot" and "our unduplicated national pep."

"Our rendition of 'Rhapsody in Blue' is a perfect representation of the 40th Anniversary Season," said President and CEO Frank Giordano. "It's a fresh, new take for us on a classic POPS tune, paying tribute to the POPS' past and the future. Like 'Rhapsody in Blue,' our upcoming shows, from Leslie Odom Jr. to American Bandstand, all look to the future through the lens of the past."

More information about the Sixth Annual POPS Ball is available at: http://bit.ly/2nVnNDN

About the POPS BIG Band

The POPS BIG Band is composed of 18 musicians - saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drums, piano, guitar and bass. The BIG Band plays swing and jazz and has expanded its repertoire into all kinds of popular music from Latin to blues and rock. The Philly POPS BIG Band members were chosen for their passion for popular music. Each is also a teaching artist, adept at instructing the next generation of musicians.

Philly POPS principal trumpet Matt Gallagher leads the BIG Band. Matt is chair of the Trumpet department at University of the Arts and director of its "Z" Big Band. He's performed with Broadway show productions, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, Aretha Franklin, the Temptations, The Four Tops, Bernadette Peters, the O'Jays, NFL Films, and recently recorded for Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, R. Kelly, Jennifer Hudson and LL Cool J.

The Philly POPS BIG Band debuted on July 4, 2017 with two performances during the city of Philadelphia's Wawa Welcome America 2017 festival. In the morning, the ensemble played at the Celebration of Freedom ceremony and parade on Independence Mall. In the evening, the BIG Band opened the city's Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert and Fireworks show on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. NBC10 and Telemundo62 televised both performances.

About The Philly POPS
The Philly POPS, the largest standalone pops orchestra in the United States, delights audiences with the inspired performance of American popular music. The POPS celebrates this distinctive musical heritage through an expanding repertoire of innovative concert performances and a robust set of educational and engagement initiatives.

Now celebrating its 40th Anniversary Season, the POPS, the official POPS orchestra of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia's partner in civic celebration, serves a consistently growing audience of over 200,000 annually. Music Director Michael Krajewski and the 65-piece Philly POPS orchestra keep listeners tapping their toes to an impressive repertoire of songs from American traditional music up through to today's chart-toppers. The Philly POPS BIG Band, an 18-20 piece ensemble performing a rock and rhythm and blues repertoire, premiered in 2017 to enthusiastic response at the July 4 Welcome America Concert on the Parkway.

Outside the concert hall, free Salute Series performances - including Memorial Salute, July 3 POPS on Independence, July 4 POPS on the Parkway and the I'll Be Home for Christmas: A Salute to the Military and First Responders concert - celebrate the American tradition of service around important national holidays. POPS in Schools enhances music education for Philadelphia School District students; POPS Outside brings POPS music to local communities. The Philly POPS performs as a founding resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and at venues throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

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