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2019 Boston Pops Spring Season Schedule

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Dates:Wednesday, May 8, 2019 - Friday, August 16, 2019
Hours:Hours Vary see below
Ages:Teens, Adults
In/Outdoor:Indoor, Outdoor
Cost:$$$ see below
Category:Music & Concerts
The Boston Pops will play host to a dazzling array of stars this Spring Season. Musical luminary and MacArthur “Genius Grant” winner Rhiannon Giddens, multi-talented comedian Jane Lynch, and the ever-popular travel authority Rick Steves will make their Spring Season debuts, while audience favorites Arlo Guthrie, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Cirque de la Symphonie return to the Symphony Hall stage.

Additional season highlights include:

Opening night at the Pops with star of stage and screen Bernadette Peters
27th annual Gospel Night with conductor Charles Floyd and gospel singer Dottie Peoples featuring a program celebrating the late Aretha Franklin The Boston Pops first ever sensory-friendly concert designed for patrons with autism-spectrum disorders or other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities.

Keith Lockhart leading Pops in four performances of a special film presentation of the original Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) with John Williams’ Academy Award®-winning score (May 10, 11 & 14) and John Williams Film Night Tribute, featuring popular scores by the Boston Pops Conductor Laureate performed live to film excerpts (May 29-31).

MESSAGE FROM KEITH LOCKHART, JULIAN AND EUNICE COHEN BOSTON POPS CONDUCTOR

What I love most about planning each Boston Pops spring season is the challenge of introducing new artists and musical themes while also focusing on the great musical traditions that our wonderful audiences have come to cherish and expect each year. I think we’ve found that perfect balance for the 2019 season.

Opening Night at Pops with Bernadette Peters
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Bernadette Peters, special guest
Wednesday, May 8, 8 p.m.
Thursday, May 9, 8 p.m. Presidents at Pops
Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops kick off the 2019 Spring Pops season on Wednesday, May 8, with Broadway and film legend Bernadette Peters. In addition to her Opening Night performance, Ms. Peters will be a featured guest during the annual Presidents at Pops fundraiser on Thursday, May 9. Opening Night includes the Boston debut of From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, a new work by Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer James Beckel celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

Star Wars: A New Hope
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Friday, May 10, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 11, 3 and 8 p.m.
Tuesday, May 14, 8 p.m.
The Boston Pops has been at the forefront of the recent popular practice of performing film music
alongside a screening of beloved Hollywood classics. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) follows in the vein of recent Boston Pops performances of Jaws, Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, and West Side Story.

Set 30 years after Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: A New Hope, the fourth episode of the saga, returns to the desert planet of Tatooine. A young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begins to discover his destiny when, searching for a lost droid, he is saved by reclusive Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). As civil war rages in the galaxy, and Rebel forces struggle against the evil Galactic Empire, Luke and Obi-Wan enlist the aid of hotshot pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford). Joined by the quirky droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO, the unlikely team sets out to rescue Rebel leader Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and make use of the stolen plans to destroy the Empire’s ultimate weapon. In a legendary confrontation, the rogue group mounts an attack against the Death Star for a climactic battle with the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Summer of ’69
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Arlo Guthrie, special guest
Wednesday, May 15, 8 p.m.
Thursday, May 16, 8 p.m.
The summer of 1969 was a year of unprecedented scientific exploration, social upheaval, and musical excitement. Living legend, songwriter, storyteller, and singer Arlo Guthrie joins Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops as they together celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, one of the most iconic and influential festivals in the history of music. The program will also feature a tribute to the year’s two most groundbreaking albums: the Beatles’ Abbey Road and the Who’s rock opera masterpiece, Tommy. The program also observes the 50th anniversary of the moon landing with From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, a new multimedia work by James Beckel.

Redefining American Music: An Evening with Rhiannon Giddens
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Rhiannon Giddens, special guest
Wednesday, May 22, 8 p.m.
Thursday, May 23, 8 p.m.

After her electric performance on the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular last year, Grammy and 2017 MacArthur “Genius Grant” winner Rhiannon Giddens and her band collaborate with the Pops in an eclectic variety of folk, blues, country, hot string jazz, and Caribbean music.

For the performance on May 22, the singer, violinist, and banjo player will share the stage with winners of the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition. Now in its 11th year, the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition provides talented Massachusetts high school students the opportunity to perform with the Boston Pops. For more information or to apply, click here. The application deadline is Wednesday, March 20.

Redefining American Music: Rhiannon Giddens and Friends Rediscover the Incredible Black
Composers

Keith Lockhart, conductor
Rhiannon Giddens, curator & vocalist
Darius de Haas, vocalist
Lara Downes, pianist
Friday, May 24, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 25, 8 p.m.
On May 24 and 25, Rhiannon Giddens curates a dynamic concert highlighting the great Black composers who have been hiding in plain sight in every genre of symphonic music. The program explores the works of composers including Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, whose choral music once rivaled Handel’s Messiah; Billy Strayhorn, the genius behind Duke Ellington who wrote “Take the A-Train” and “Day Dream”; and Eubie Blake, composer of the groundbreaking Broadway musical Shuffle Along.

The program will also remember Florence Price, the first African American woman to have her symphony performed by a major orchestra, and Hazel Scott, the jazz and piano prodigy who became a Hollywood, Broadway, and television star. Giddens will be joined by vocalist Darius de Haas (Broadway’s Shuffle Along) and pianist Lara Downes, whose playing has been described by The New York Times as “luscious, moody and dreamy.”

Once Upon a Time… Stories at the Symphony
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Saturday, May 25, 3 p.m.
Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops present an afternoon of musical storytelling on Saturday, May 25, with Once Upon a Time… Stories at the Symphony. The fun, family-friendly program includes Jim Beckel’s new multimedia work From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, and selections by musical storytellers John Williams and Aaron Copland. The concert concludes with Lemony Snicket’s The Composer Is Dead!, a madcap whodunit in which an inspector must sift through an entire orchestra of suspicious instruments to solve the crime.

Once Upon a Time… Family Story Matinee
Sensory Friendly Concert


Keith Lockhart, conductor
Saturday, June 1, 11 a.m.
On Saturday, June 1, the Boston Pops is pleased to offer its first-ever sensory and autism-friendly
concert. Sensory-friendly concerts are designed for patrons with autism-spectrum disorders or other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities. In addition to musical selections from John Williams and Aaron Copland, the concert will include Lemony Snicket’s The Composer Is Dead!, a madcap whodunit in which an inspector must sift through an entire orchestra of suspicious instruments to solve the crime.

While the music on stage remains the same, the following modifications are made to create a welcoming environment at Symphony Hall: lower volume and lighting levels; relaxed house rules; minimal crowds to allow for movement; available noise-reduction headphones; designated quiet room and support spaces; modified food concessions; and staff and credentialed autism therapist volunteers trained to be responsive to families’ needs.

John Williams Film Night Tribute
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Wednesday, May 29, 8 p.m.
Thursday, May 30, 8 p.m.
Friday, May 31, 8 p.m.
Keith Lockhart leads the Boston Pops in three John Williams Film Night Tribute concerts celebrating the iconic film music of the Pops’ beloved Conductor Laureate. The family-friendly programs feature Maestro Lockhart leading the orchestra in Mr. Williams’ popular scores and unforgettable musical themes performed live to film excerpts projected on a screen above the orchestra.

An Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr.
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Leslie Odom, Jr., special guest
Wednesday, June 5, 8 p.m.
Thursday, June 6, 8 p.m.
After sold-out performances in 2017, Leslie Odom, Jr. joins the Boston Pops again to pay tribute to the legendary Nat King Cole on his centenary, and to sing many of his own Broadway favorites. A triple-threat artist, Mr. Odom is best known for originating the Tony Award-winning role of Aaron Burr in the original cast of Broadway’s Hamilton. He is also known for the TV series Smash, his #1 Billboard Jazz self-titled album, and the 2017 cinematic remake of Murder on the Orient Express.

Jane Lynch Sings the American Songbook* (*Plus One Guatemalan Love Song)
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Jane Lynch, special guest
Wednesday, June 6, 8 p.m.
Thursday, June 7, 8 p.m.

Three-time Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Lynch from Glee, Best in Show, Hollywood Game Night, and more, joins the Boston Pops for two memorable musical evenings injected with a large dose of comedy. Ms. Lynch will take audiences on an entertaining journey through hilarious performances of hits from Broadway, the Great American Songbook, and beyond.

Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey
Giacomo Bairos, conductor
Rick Steves, special guest
Thursday, June 13, 8 p.m.
Friday, June 14, 8 p.m.
On Thursday, June 13, and Friday, June 14, audiences can journey with Rick Steves, America’s leading authority on European travel, as he and the Boston Pops transport them on a musical voyage across Europe. Mr. Steves’ extensive knowledge of European history and culture set the context for each piece as the orchestra performs a selection of stirring 19th-century anthems by Romantic-era composers, including Grieg, Smetana, Strauss, Berlioz, Elgar, Wagner, and Verdi. Each selection honors a particular nation, while the finale, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” (Europe’s official anthem) pays homage to the continent’s motto of “United in Diversity.” The concert is enhanced by a montage of evocative video images curated by Rick Steves. Information about pre-concert lectures will be available at a later date.

Gospel Night
Charles Floyd, conductor
Dottie Peoples, special guest
Boston Pops Gospel Choir
Saturday, June 15, 8 p.m.
The Boston Pops, the Boston Pops Gospel Choir, and gospel legend Dottie Peoples raise the roof of
Symphony Hall for the 27th annual Gospel Night concert on Saturday, June 15. Led by
conductor/pianist/composer Charles Floyd, who has conducted Gospel Night since 1994, the evening's music will have the audience on its feet and singing with joy with a tribute to “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin and her seminal gospel album Amazing Grace.

BOSTON POPS AT TANGLEWOOD AND ON THE CAPE
The Boston Pops performs at Tanglewood several times throughout the 2019 Tanglewood season,
including three programs celebrating the art of Boston Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams. The first of these programs takes place on Sunday, July 7, with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and guest conductor David Newman featured in a program entitled “Across the Stars: Music of John Williams,” inspired by Ms. Mutter’s recent recording of the same name.

The program will showcase the violinist in music from Mr. Williams’ iconic scores in brilliant new arrangements created especially for her, including such familiar themes as Star Wars and Memoirs of a Geisha, as well as the haunting melodies of Schindler’s List.

On Friday, August 16, Tanglewood presents Star Wars: A New Hope, a showing of the classic 1977
film, with the Boston Pops Orchestra performing Mr. Williams’ iconic score, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, the Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor.

Long established as one of Tanglewood’s most anticipated and beloved evenings, John Williams’ Film Night returns on Saturday, August 24, with George and Roberta Berry Boston Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams introducing the festive evening, which features the Boston Pops and conductor David Newman performing a program celebrating the music of Hollywood and more. The Boston Pops will also perform its annual concert fundraiser for the Nantucket Cottage Hospital on Saturday, August 10, as well as the annual “Pops by the Sea” concert in Hyannis (a fundraiser for Arts Foundation of Cape Cod) on Sunday, August 11.

HOURS↑ top

All performances start at 8 p.m., except for the matinee performances of Star Wars: A New Hope on Saturday, May 11, and Tuesday, May 14; Once Upon a Time… on Saturday, June 1, and Saturday, June 8; and Cirque de la Symphonie on Saturday, June 8. The May 11 & 25 and June 8 concerts include a 50% ticket discount for children ages 17 and younger.

COST↑ top

Tickets for the 2019 Boston Pops season at Symphony Hall, priced from $30 to $126, go on sale on Monday, February 25 at 10 a.m. at www.bostonpops.org or 888-266-1200.

WEBSITE↑ top

www.bostonpops.org.

LOCATION↑ top

301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115 map
Phone: (617) 638-9287

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