Photo courtesy Pasadena Symphony and Pops facebook page
Stars of stage and screen will illuminate the night sky when the Pasadena Symphony and POPS presents its annual free Music Under the Stars concert on Saturday, June 10 at Pasadena City Hall’s Centennial Square. Presented with sponsorship support from Bank of America, Music Under the Stars will bring Pasadena’s premiere orchestra free to the community for one night only. This year’s concert will bring the Best of Broadway with popular favorites from West Side Story, The Music Man, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Wicked and more legendary musicals. Hear “Mambo,” “Trouble,” “Memory,” “Music of the Night,” “Seasons of Love” and all of your favorite show tunes under the stars on the steps of City Hall. It’s a Broadway celebration that you and your family won’t want to miss.
The family fun begins at 6:00pm with picnicking, food trucks and the return of Kids Korner. Kids can enjoy free face painting, balloon animals and a musical instrument petting zoo, where people of all ages can discover the wonder of creating their own music with the instruments of the orchestra. Families who arrive early will also be treated to a special performance by Bob Baker Marionette Theater at 7:00pm.
The Music Under the Stars orchestra will be led by Resident Pops Conductor Larry Blank, who will welcome the Donald Brinegar Singers, JPL Chorus and some of Broadway’s best vocalists to the stage. “Musical and theatrical marvel” (San Francisco Chronicle) Lisa Vroman will add her sparkling vocals to the performance. With countless Broadway credits under her belt, Vroman is best known for starring for over eight years on Broadway, in San Francisco, and in Los Angeles as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. Valerie Perri, who launched her career as Eva Peron under the direction of Hal Prince in Evita, will sweep you away with her dulcet tones. Multiple-award-winning entertainer Jason Graae brings an extensive career on both stage and screen with roles in Broadway’s Falsettos, Stardust and the national tour of Wicked, on television in Six Feet Under, Friends, Frasier, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and many more. Last seen on Broadway playing Fiyero in Wicked, David Burhnam is an original Broadway cast member of The Light In The Piazza, and gained critical acclaim when he was chosen to replace Donny Osmond as Joseph in the national tour of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
This family-friendly event is presented with support once again from Bank of America. As a leading corporate supporter of the arts around the world, Bank of America provides steadfast and strategic support to nonprofit arts and culture institutions. Bank of America’s arts programs like the Art Conservation Project, Museums on Us®, Art in Our Communities and the Masterpiece Moment video series, along with sponsorships and grants, are designed to have a positive impact on economies and societies, and shine a light on diverse cultural traditions.
Music Under the Stars is also supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.
Gates open at 6:00pm for Kids Korner, Bob Baker Marionette Theater performance begins at 7:00pm, and the Music Under the Stars Concert begins at 8:00pm. 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 for purchase. For more information, visit PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org or call (626) 793-7172.
About the Pasadena Symphony Association
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. The multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” Michael Feinstein, leads the POPS as Principal Pops Conductor, succeeding Marvin Hamlisch.
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 seven performing ensembles, with over 400 gifted 4th-12th grade students from all over Southern California. The PYSO Symphony has performed at venues across the globe as well as on the television show GLEE. The PSA provides people from all walks of life with powerful access points to the world of symphonic music.
