[photo credit: Pasadena Symphony and POPS]
The concert, “Dancin’ In the Street: Music of Motown,” is the second of five programs in the 2026 Rusnak Summer Concert Series, the summer season of the Pasadena-based orchestra operated by the Pasadena Symphony Association. Vocalists Shayna Steele, Chester Gregory and Terron Brooks headline, with Resident Pops Conductor Larry Blank leading the orchestra.
The evening’s set list draws on Motown-era hits, among them “My Girl,” “I Feel Good” and “Superstition,” according to the Pasadena POPS’ concert description. The five-concert series runs from June 20 through August 29, with Saturday performances at the Arboretum, according to the orchestra. Each concert lasts about two hours with one intermission and takes place rain or shine, the orchestra’s visitor information states.
The season opened June 20 with “Star Spangled Salute to the Movies: A Tribute to John Williams” and continues after the Motown program with “A Toast to the Rat Pack” on July 25, “Remember When Rock Was Young: The Elton John Tribute” on August 15, and “Music of the Night: Andrew Lloyd Webber & Friends” on August 29, according to the orchestra.
This is the orchestra’s first summer series led by Blank as Resident Pops Conductor. Michael Feinstein, who led the POPS for more than a decade, was named Emeritus Pops Conductor at the close of the 2025 season, Pasadena Now has reported. Blank is a Broadway composer, conductor and orchestrator who has received three Tony Award nominations and three Drama Desk Award nominations, according to Pasadena Now.
The Pasadena Symphony Association, which presents the POPS, is based at 150 South Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena, where it also produces the Pasadena Symphony’s classical season each year.
“Dancin’ In the Street: Music of Motown” takes place Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Single tickets range from $15 to $109, as reported by Pasadena Now; lawn tickets for children under 12 are $15 and children under 2 are admitted free on the lawn, according to the Pasadena POPS visitor page. Groups of 20 or more receive 20 percent off and Arboretum members receive 10 percent off, according to the orchestra and the Arboretum. Guests may bring their own food and beverages, and food trucks and a full-service bar operate on site. Parking with a free shuttle is available at Santa Anita Park for $20 [Editor’s note: confirm the shuttle gate with the box office; POPS materials and local coverage list it inconsistently as Gate 5 and Gate 6]. An on-site box office operates from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on concert days. For tickets and information, call (626) 793-7172 or visit pasadenasymphony-pops.org.
For one Saturday night in July, a catalog born in Detroit and carried across generations plays out over a botanical garden in Arcadia.
Pasadena POPS — “Dancing in the Street: Music of Motown” | Date: Saturday, July 11, 7:30 PM (gates open at 5:30 PM for picnicking) | 📍 LA County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia
🔗 https://pasadenasymphony-pops.org/tickets/ Mommy Poppins + 2
