BOSTON POPS ANNOUNCES 2012 SEASON, MAY 9-JUNE 16; TICKETS on sale now!
"VISIONS OF AMERICA" 2012 BOSTON POPS SEASON-CELEBRATING MANY OF AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL TRADITIONS-TO FEATURE PHOTO-JOURNALIST JOSEPH SOHM'S STRIKING IMAGES FROM ALL 50 STATES TO THE MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT OF THE BOSTON POPS ALL SEASON LONG

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The Boston Pops led by conductor Keith Lockhart, in his 18th season with "America's Orchestra," will kick off the 2012 "Visions of America" spring Pops season with a gala opening night performance featuring Tony Award-winning icon Bernadette Peters on May 9. Celebrating the American musical traditions that weave together the imagination and spirit of our diverse nation, the "Visions of America" season will feature the striking images of photo historian Joseph Sohm and his extraordinary photographs representing all 50 states. The season theme will culminate in the "Visions of America Photo-Symphony," a sweeping photographic portrait of American life set to music by the acclaimed Roger Kellaway, with lyrics by the unrivaled Alan and Marilyn Bergman. This multi-media project, enhanced by the recorded narration of Clint Eastwood, will feature acclaimed vocalist Patti Austin in performances on June 14, 15, 16, bringing the 2012 season to a close.

During the 2012 spring season, the Boston Pops will usher in a series of exciting talents to pay tribute to a wide range of American musical genres. Comedian, author, musician and all-around king of artistic versatility Steve Martin will pluck the strings of his banjo for his Boston Pops debut with The Steep Canyon Rangers on May 29 and 30, and for "Presidents at Pops" on May 31. John Williams, who celebrates his 80th birthday in 2012, will lead the ever-popular Film Night on Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2, featuring music from many of the cinematic masterpieces that launched the Boston Pops Laureate Conductor to worldwide acclaim. Mr. Williams also shares the podium with Keith Lockhart for "Presidents at Pops" on May 31. Gospel Night at Pops celebrates a milestone as well, when conductor Charles Floyd raises the voices of the Boston Pops Gospel Choir on the 20th annual performance of this transcendent program. The Saturday, June 9 Gospel Night concert will feature American Idol's Melinda Doolittle, gospel singer Crystal Aitkin, and additional guest artists to be announced.

Keith Lockhart's masterful and timeless programming will capture the ears of Boston Pops fans on May 10-12, when the orchestra and its Maestro perform a lush and jazzy Gershwin Spectacular with tunes such as Rhapsody in Blue, Fascinatin' Rhythm, Lady Be Good, and Embraceable You. People of all ages are welcome to a similarly programmed matinee Family Concert on Saturday, May 12. Additionally, a set of concerts on May 23, 24, and 25 will bring the best of Boston sports to the stage of Symphony Hall. The City of Champions series will feature sports-themed musical concerts, an entourage of surprise celebrity athletes, and the unveiling of a special tribute to the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park.

The Pops will also perform songs from Funny Girl, A Star is Born, and The Way We Were, as well as other tunes from the Barbra Streisand songbook on May 15 and 16, with special guest vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway and a cameo appearance by Alan Bergman, who is perhaps the world's greatest living lyricist alongside his wife Marilyn. Cole Porter, one of the most prolific contributor to the Great American Songbook, will receive recognition as well, when Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, Broadway's golden couple, make a New York-style splash at Symphony Hall, with songs such as I've Got You Under My Skin, In the Still of the Night, and Anything Goes on June 5, 6, and 8.

 

BOSTON POPS 2012 SEASON PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS, MAY 9 - JUNE 16
OPENING NIGHT, MAY 9

May 9, 8PM



Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops kick off the 2012 Spring Pops Season on Wednesday, May 9, with a gala Opening Night concert featuring Broadway star Bernadette Peters. Ms. Peters' divine voice was just featured on a new cast recording of Follies released in November 2011. The multifaceted musical theater actress, whose career has spanned five decades, will be heard in full force on Opening Night at Pops, sharing favorites such as Some Enchanted Evening, There Is Nothing like a Dame, and Being Alive. The season kicks off with an all-Gershwin first half to include the beloved Rhapsody in Blue and the photographs of Joseph Sohm set to a classic Pops tune. The grand opening night festivities include a complimentary pre-concert reception.

GERSHWIN SPECTACULAR, MAY 10-12
FAMILY CONCERT, MAY 12

May 10, 8PM
May 11, 8PM
FAMILY CONERT: May 12, 3PM
Children 18 and under receive a 50% discount
(Please call SymphonyCharge at (617) 266-1200 or (888) 266-1200 to receive the 50% off discount)
May 12, 8PM

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops will celebrate the music of one of the great innovators of the American Songbook, George Gershwin. The Gershwin Spectacular program will include a performance of Rhapsody in Blue and Promenade: Walking the Dog featuring Pops principal clarinetist Thomas Martin. The second half of the program will feature members of the Boston Conservatory Theater Division in such Gershwin classics as I Got Rhythm, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off from Shall We Dance, and Embraceable You. People of all ages are welcome to a George Gershwin matinee Family Concert at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 12. The Family Concert will feature a performance by the winner of the BSO Youth Concerto Competition, and children 18 and under receive a 50% discount.

A BARBRA STREISAND SONGBOOK, MAY 15 & 16

May 15, 8PM
May 16, 8PM

Ann Hampton Callaway, one of this country's great interpreters of the American Songbook, brings her captivating sound to Symphony Hall to pay tribute to the adored Barbra Streisand on May 15 and 16. The program fires off with classic Boston Pops renditions of tunes from the likes of George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Leonard Bernstein, before Ms. Callaway brings her jazzy style to Massachusetts Avenue for a full second half of Streisand hits. The lyrics of the acclaimed Alan and Marylin Bergman take center stage, especially when Alan Bergman makes a special cameo performance on these dates to share stories about the years of collaboration he and his wife have shared with Ms. Streisand, as well as to sing some cherished tunes.

CITY OF CHAMPIONS, MAY 23-25

May 23, 8PM
May 24, 8PM
May 25, 8PM

Series sponsored by Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops celebrate Boston's favorite hometown heroes during the third week of Pops concerts. Fans will hear the music of baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and more in these Olympic and Boston sports-themed concerts. From the energetic Opening Fanfare of Also Sprach Zarathustra to the more modern Heavy Action (better known as the theme song to Monday Night Football), the Boston Pops will share the popular hits of competitive sports with the audiences who know best. Keep your head up for surprise cameos by local sports celebrities from the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, and New England Revolution during each City of Champions performance. The Boston Pops will also unveil a special tribute to the 100th Anniversary of Fenway Park.

STEVE MARTIN PERFORMING WITH THE STEEP CANYON RANGERS AN EVENING OF BLUEGRASS & COMEDY, MAY 29 & 30

May 29, 8PM - Featuring the winners of the 2012 Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition at the Boston Pops.
May 30, 8PM

Multi-talented cultural icon Steve Martin will make his long-overdue Boston Pops debut on May 29 and 30 with the roving bluegrass troupe The Steep Canyon Rangers. The comic who once said "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture," will present a sidesplitting Evening of Comedy and Bluegrass with Keith Lockhart, the Boston Pops, and help from his trusty banjo. These concerts mark the first time Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers have performed with an orchestra.

FILM NIGHT WITH JOHN WILLIAMS, JUNE 1 & 2

June 1, 8PM
June 2, 8PM

The orchestra welcomes Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams to the podium, June 1 and 2, for Film Night, a favorite program for Symphony Hall audiences each year. Mr. Williams, the highly acclaimed composer and conductor behind blockbuster films such as Jaws, Star Wars, and Harry Potter, celebrates his 80th birthday in 2012. These programs will showcase some of the most memorable music of all time, along with film footage featured alongside many of the Hollywood scores.

A TRIBUTE TO COLE PORTER, JUNE 5, 6, & 8

June 5, 8PM - Sponsored by The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2012.
June 6, 8PM
June 8, 8PM

Husband and wife team and Broadway stars Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie join the Boston Pops on June 5, 6, and 8 for a tribute to American songwriter Cole Porter. This two-part program will feature the Pops performing music from Porter's contemporaries, including Richard Rodger's Overture to Babes in Arms and Carousel Waltz, Jerome Kern's Pick Yourself Up from Swing Time, and a selection of Gershwin love songs, such as Love Walked In, Someone to Watch Over Me, and The Man I Love. Ms. Mazzie and Mr. Danieley join the orchestra after intermission for a selection of tunes from Porter himself, including Another Opening, Another Show, It's De-Lovely, Anything Goes, and So In Love.

GOSPEL NIGHT CELEBRATES 20 YEARS, JUNE 9

June 9, 8PM

Charles Floyd and the Boston Pops Gospel Choir, his all-volunteer chorus, celebrate the 20th annual Gospel Night on June 9, an evening of spirit-raising traditional and contemporary American gospel music. To celebrate this milestone of one of the most popular programs every season, the Boston Pops Gospel Choir will also be joined by American Idol's Melinda Doolittle, gospel singer Crystal Aitkin, as well as additional guests to be announced.

THE WILD WEST, JUNE 12

June 12, 8PM

Americans have always looked west, so this year at Symphony Hall, the genre-trailblazing Time For Three will help the Pops pay tribute to the Wild West on June 12. On this program the Boston Pops present a round-up of the rowdy and unforgettable frontier music from such films and televisions series as The Magnificent Seven, Silverado, and Bonanza. Violinists Zachary De Pue and Nicolas Kendall and double bassist Ranaan Meyer of Time for Three will take the stage during the second set to perform tunes in their classical, country western, gypsy, and jazz-infused style.

VISIONS OF AMERICA, MAY 22, JUNE 14-16

May 22, 8PM
June 14, 8PM - Sponsored by UBS
June 15, 8PM
June 16, 8PM

This spring, "America's Orchestra" celebrates what unites us, the United States-the heart, imagination, and spirit of American musical traditions. Many of this season's spring Pops concerts will feature "Visions of America Photo-Symphony," a stirring, multimedia work inspired by the striking images of photo-historian Joseph Sohm. Sohm's sweeping photographic portrait of American life is set to compelling music by the acclaimed Roger Kellaway and lyrics by world-renowned Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The multi-media project will feature acclaimed vocalist Patti Austin on June 14, 15, and 16, as well as the voice of Clint Eastwood.