Boston Pops counters with good news

You have to feel bad for them popping out the press release an hour after the bad news about James Levine (below). But the Boston Pops announced today that they'll celebrate their 125th season with  free small-group concerts in Boston parks and a full-orchestra performance on the Common at 3 p.m. Sept. 26. Full release after the jump.

BOSTON POPS CELEBRATES LANDMARK 125^TH SEASON

WITH SERIES OF FREE CONCERTS IN BOSTON PARKS

 

KEITH LOCKHART AND THE BOSTON POPS CLOSE OUT SEASON WITH FREE CONCERT ON BOSTON COMMON, SEPTEMBER 26

 

          As part of its 125^th Anniversary Celebration, Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops will give a free concert on Boston Common at 3 p.m. on September 26. This concert will be held in partnership with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and is sponsored by Fidelity Investments and the Friends of the Public Garden with support from Normandy Real Estate partners.

The orchestra is also partnering with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy to offer Pops in the Parks, a three-part series featuring the Boston Pops Brass Quintet performing outdoors at two of Boston’s most picturesque locations—Pinebank at Jamaica Pond (June 27 and July 11) and Allerton Overlook at Olmsted Park (August 8). Concert repertoire for these three concerts ranges from Renaissance brass music to ragtime and early 20^th century jazz.

In addition, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will host Mayor Menino’s Wednesday Night Concert Pops Dance Party on Wednesday, July 21, at 7 p.m. on City Hall Plaza.  This free concert, complete with a parquet dance floor, will feature Bill Elliott and the Boston Pops Swing Orchestra.

 

June 27, 6 p.m. – Pinebank at Jamaica Pond

Boston Pops Brass Quintet

A Program of Threes

This concert includes three works by Baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach, three colorful medieval songs specially adapted for brass quintet, three captivating chansons by Claude Debussy originally written for a cappella chorus, a three-movement modern brass quintet by British film composer Malcolm Arnold, and three jazz standards.

 

July 11, 6 p.m. – Pinebank at Jamaica Pond

Boston Pops Brass Quintet

A Renaissance Evening

This program features a variety of Renaissance brass music—lively dances, lyrical canzoni, and gentle ayres by long-forgotten composers. The program’s second half features show tunes from 20^th century Renaissance men with works by Leonard Bernstein, John Williams, Leroy Anderson, and Henry Mancini.

 

July 21, 7 p.m. – City Hall Plaza

Bill Elliott and Members of the Boston Pops

Mayor Menino’s Wednesday Night Concerts’ Pops Dance Party

Bill Elliott and the Boston Pops Swing Orchestra come to City Hall Plaza for a memorable concert on July 21. Elliott has been called “the most dancer-friendly bandleader out there” for the swinging full-bodied arrangements and distinctive sound of his Los Angeles-based orchestra. He brings his energy and expertise to the Pops’ own swing band musicians for an evening of light-hearted, witty, and romantic feel-good music.

 

August 8, 6 p.m. – Allerton Overlook at Olmsted Park

Boston Pops Brass Quintet

Old-Time Brass

This old-time brass band concert will feature works written specifically for the unique sound of the brass band, including Gustav Holst’s classic Second Military Suite in F. The concert also includes ragtime, early 20^th century jazz, and selections from the American Brass Band Journal, including marches, ballads, and quick-steps that were played by bands in the Civil War Armies.

 

September 26, 3 p.m. – Boston Common

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops

The Boston Pops concludes its free parks concert series in September on the Boston Common, presenting a full orchestra concert with conductor Keith Lockhart and celebrating the orchestra’s 125-year history. The concert will be preceded by performances from the winners of the Fidelity Futurestage® Music Competition.