President of the Philly POPS Frank Giordano to Receive Prestigious Crystal Award

Frank Giordano, President of The Philly POPS, will receive the prestigious Crystal Award from the Union League of Philadelphia, November 16, 2021.

The Crystal Award honors individuals for their service to the arts and culture in the Philadelphia community. Other notable recipients of the Crystal Award include: Leonore Annenberg, First Lady Laura Bush, Marguerite and H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest, Willard G. Rouse III, Dr. John and Dr. Josephine Templeton, Robert Montgomery Scott, Leslie Ann and Richard Worley, Dorrance "Dodo" Hamilton and John and Leigh Middleton.

A native of Philadelphia, Frank joined the POPS in 2011 as President. In his time with the POPS, he has lifted the organization to record levels of ticket sales and contributed revenue. Frank has benefitted many cultural organizations throughout the region through his philanthropy and service on Boards.

Frank has served on the Boards of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Rowan University, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, The Penn Club, Coriell Institute for Medical Research, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the National Italian American Foundation, among others, including President of the Board of Studio Incamminati. He is the Executive Director of America250 and serves on the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts of the Kennedy Center. He is also the past Chairman of Goodwill Industries and past president of the Union League of Philadelphia.

Under Frank, the POPS created its signature community engagement programs, POPSinSchools and the Salute Series, both of which take the POPS outside of the concert hall and into the community. POPSinSchools provides over 3,000 students with supplemental music education programming, and through its digital presence, POPSinSchools@HOME, the POPS has provided virtual music education for over 38,000 students since March 2020.

The Salute Series honors the commitment of servicemembers and their families with free performances on holidays of civic importance. This includes Memorial Salute, three performances on July 3 and 4, Veterans Salute, and a Philadelphia favorite-I'll Be Home for Christmas: A Salute to the Military and First Responders. Moved by A Philly POPS Christmas, Frank wanted to give back to the service community with a Christmas performance for servicemembers and their families. Using his connections in the business community, Frank was able to raise over $250,000 for the first I'll Be Home for Christmas performance. The event was a landmark, bringing in Governor and other notable dignitaries. For nearly a decade, the POPS has given away over 2,000 tickets each year for the event to active military and servicemembers, police and fire department personnel, frontline healthcare workers, and veterans.

During the reception, an ensemble of student performers will play a set. These students, Dan McCain, John Meko, and Anthony Aldissi, have all been mentored by POPS Artistic Director for Jazz Terell Stafford. Dan McCain is a graduate of the All-City Jazz program and is currently a senior at University of the Arts. He has been a POPS Pathways program co-op student at the POPS office for six years. John Meko, another POPS Pathways program co-op, has been with the POPS for seven years. John is currently completing his Masters in trumpet performance at Temple University, under Terell Stafford. These student performances reflect Frank's commitment to education, with the inception of POPSinSchools in 2015, which led to the POPS' involvement in All-City Jazz, the creation of the POPS Pathways programs and co-op positions.

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