Grammy and Academy Award-Nominated Vocalist, Actor, and Director Seth MacFarlane Joins the Boston Pops for a Special New Year's Eve Celebration at Symphony Hall

Following up on memorable 2016 and 2018 performances with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall and Tanglewood, writer, director, and Grammy and Oscar-nominated vocalist Seth MacFarlane returns to Boston to close out 2025 with a special New Year’s Eve celebration at Symphony Hall on Wednesday, December 31, beginning at 8 p.m. The conductor for the evening is Emmy winner and Grammy-nominated composer, and longtime MacFarlane collaborator Joel McNeely who will be making his Pops debut.  

Perhaps best known as the creator of Family Guy, Ted, and American Dad!, MacFarlane will join the Pops with his rich baritone voice for a selection of big band standards and favorites from the Great American Songbook. In June, MacFarlane released his ninth studio album, Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements, which includes 12 never-before-heard arrangements originally created for Frank Sinatra by collaborators Nelson Riddle, Billy May, and Don Costa. The album reached No. 1 on iTunes’ Jazz chart, top 3 on the Traditional Jazz Albums chart, top 5 on Jazz Albums, and top 20 on the Top Album Sales chart.  

It succeeds MacFarlane’s other critically-acclaimed albums, Music is Better Than Words, Holiday for Swing, No One Ever Tells You, In Full Swing, Once In A While, Great Songs From Stage & Screen, Blue Skies, and We Wish You The Merriest, have garnered him five Grammy Award nominations, and several No. 1 debuts on the iTunes Jazz and New Release Jazz pages. With a profound appreciation for standards and the Great American Songbook, MacFarlane acquired the entire Sinatra music archive in 2018 and has performed with legendary composer and Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl, duetted with Barbra Streisand, and joined numerous renowned symphony orchestras including those in San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. 

A native of Kent, Connecticut, MacFarlane is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. At 24, MacFarlane became the youngest showrunner in television history when his animated series “Family Guy” aired on Fox. The program, which just celebrated its 25th Anniversary, has earned him five Emmys and makes him the tied record-holder for most voice-over Emmy wins of all time. 

In addition to this special one-night only performance with the Pops, this festive evening includes a cash bar and several dining options. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert begins at 8 p.m.