Free Concert at Pasadena City Hall with the Pasadena Symphony and POPS
The family friendly event features Broadway stars Larry Blank, David Burnham, Valerie Perri, and Christina Saffran
Stars of the stage and screen will illuminate the night sky when the Pasadena Symphony presents its annual FREE “Music Under The Stars” concert on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Pasadena City Hall Centennial Square. This concert is sponsored in part by The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. Under the baton of multiple Tony Award-nominated Larry Blank, Resident Pops Conductor, the Pasadena Symphony welcomes vocalists Valerie Perri, Christina Saffran, and David Burnham, who will sing a collection of hits from Broadway, the movies, and the Great American Songbook. With a selection including legendary music by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber and so much more. The JPL chorus, composed of volunteer JPL employees and under the direction of Donald Brinegar, completes the line-up for this captivating evening of Music Under the Stars. Grounds open at 5:30 p.m., the concert will take place between 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
At the concert, the Pasadena Symphony Association will honor Mayor Bill Bogaard for his leadership support of the Association over the years.
The family-friendly fun begins at 5:30 p.m. with pre-concert activities, family-style picnicking, and gourmet food trucks. Families can discover the wonder of creating their own music with the instruments of the orchestra at the instrument “petting zoo,” where kids of all ages can toot flutes, blow trumpets, bow strings, and bang on percussion instruments. Families are also encouraged to bring their own picnic along to enjoy at the site, or purchase a variety of tasty offerings from a collection of gourmet food trucks.
Perri is best known and loved for her legendary performance as Eva Peron in in the Tony Award-winning musical Evita. She has also played starring roles in such Broadway blockbusters such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “West Side Story,” “Gypsy,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “I Do, I Do,” “And the World Goes Round,” “Man of La Mancha,” and “Annie Warbucks.”
Saffran’s artisic career is expansive having starred in numerous Broadway master pieces including, “Singin’ In the Rain,” Maggie in “A Chorus Line,” Shoo Shoo in “Sophisticated Ladies,” Rosabud and Edwin Drood in “Drood,” and Zaneeta in “The Music Man.”
Burnham was last seen as Fiyero in the Broadway sensation, “Wicked,” a role he originated in the developmental stages of the production. He is an original cast member of the Broadway production of “The Light in the Piazza,” and the recipient of the prestigious Helen Hayes Award for best actor for his portrayal of Fabrizio on the National Tour.
“As a major supporter of the arts, Bank of America is proud to once again help bring events like Music Under The Stars to Pasadena,” said Craig Colbath, Bank of America Merrill Lynch resident director, based in Pasadena. “By supporting cultural legacies like the Pasadena Symphony and POPS, we provide our communities with access to art and culture that not only offer social and education benefits, but also acts as an economic driver for the region.”
Bank of America’s arts program supports nonprofit arts and culture presenters at the local level and with leading world-class arts entities. Other programs include the Museums on Us® program, which offers Bank of America customers free access to 150 of America's finest cultural institutions, and the Art in our Communities® program through which the company shares its corporate collection with museums throughout the world.
Admission to this event is free, and guests are encouraged to bring a picnic, blanket, and low-back chairs. Rental chairs will also be available at the event. For more information, visit www.PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org or call 626.793.7172.
IF YOU GO:
What: Music Under the Stars with the Pasadena Symphony and POPS
When: Saturday, Oct. 4. Pre-concert festivities at 5:30 p.m.; concert at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Pasadena City Hall Centennial Square
Cost: Free
Parking: Plaza Las Fuentes Structure (Union Ave & Los Robles); School House Parking Facility (Green St. & Raymond Ave); Pasadena Center/Sheraton Parking Structure (Marengo & Cordova); Paseo Colorado Subterranean Garage; Paseo Colorado Marengo Avenue Parking Structure; Paseo Colorado Los Robles Parking Structure; Arroyo Seco Park Parking (Raymond Ave or Arroyo Blvd), and Marriott Courtyard Hotel Parking (enter on Raymond).
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ABOUT THE PASADENA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION
Recent Acclaim for the Pasadena Symphony and POPS
“The Pasadena Symphony signals a new direction…teeming with vitality...dripping with opulent, sexy emotion.” Los Angeles Times.
“...full of pulsating energy from first note to last... the strings were lushly resonant, the wind principals were at the top of their games, and the brass rang out with gleaming vigor.” –Pasadena Star News.
Formed in 1928, the Pasadena Symphony and POPS is an ensemble of Hollywood’s most talented, sought after musicians. With extensive credits in the film, television, recording and orchestral industry, the artists of Pasadena Symphony and POPS are the most heard in the world.
The Pasadena Symphony and POPS performs in two of the most extraordinary venues in the United States: Ambassador Auditorium, known as the Carnegie Hall of the West, and the luxuriant Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden. Internationally recognized, Grammy-nominated conductor, David Lockington, serves as the Pasadena Symphony Association’s Music Director, with performance-practice specialist Nicholas McGegan serving as Principal Guest Conductor. The multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” Michael Feinstein, is the Principal Pops Conductor, who succeeded Marvin Hamlisch in the newly created Marvin Hamlisch Chair.
A hallmark of its robust education programs, the Pasadena Symphony Association has served the youth of the region for over five decades through the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras (PYSO) comprised of five performing ensembles, with over 250 gifted 4th-12th grade students from more than 50 schools all over the Southern California region. The PYSO Symphony often performs on the popular television show GLEE.
The PSA provides people from all walks of life with powerful access points to the world of symphonic music.