Lockhart has brought in numerous pop-music acts and icons in addition to
Broadway greats (the likes of
Idina Menzel,
Kristin Chenoweth and
Sutton Foster performed with the orchestra throughout Lockhart's first 25 years there) to play with the orchestra since being named conductor, including
Ben Folds,
Rockapella,
Guster,
My Morning Jacket,
Aimee Mann,
Kelly Clarkson, and
Elvis Costello.
Spring Season 2012 Glee star
Matthew Morrison performed with the orchestra.
2014: "The Very Best of The Boston Pops" (May 7–June 14, 2014) The 2014 Spring Season was announced towards the end of February 2014, with the title "The Very Best of the Boston Pops". Opening Night was Wednesday, May 7 at 8 pm, and the orchestra opened with "The Very Best of the Boston Pops with
Jason Alexander", conducted by Keith Lockhart. "The Very Best of the Boston Pops" was conducted by Lockhart and performed on select nights throughout the season, giving audiences both a chance to see what the orchestra was capable of performing (given the various selections from their vast library of compositions) as well as the opportunity to select which dates worked best for them. These performances were given on Thursday, May 8, Friday, May 9, Tuesday, May 27th (
Arthur Fiedler Night 2014), and Friday, June 13.
2015 (May 6–June 13, 2015) During the 2015 Pops Spring Season, the orchestra worked with
Bernadette Peters (who opened the spring season that year), The Midtown Men, and
Audra McDonald. In 2015, the film that was chosen for the "Film with Orchestra" series was ''
Singin' In The Rain''. The orchestra also had tributes throughout the season: two nights of the orchestra playing the music of
The Beatles; the ever-popular "John Williams Film Night"; a
Celtic sojourn hosted by Brian O'Donnovan with
Carlos Núñez and
Karan Casey as the special guests; the ever-popular "
Gospel Night at Pops" conducted by
Charles Floyd featuring
The Blind Boys of Alabama; the return of "Cirque de la Symphonie" featuring Cirque du Soleil performers; and ending with Simply Sondheim, featuring
Marin Mazzie,
Jason Danieley and the Tanglewood Music Center Fellows as special guests.
2017: "Lights, Camera…Music: Celebrating Six Decades of John Williams" During the 2017 Pops Spring Season, the orchestra had its first season-long tribute to a composer, that composer being John Williams. They recorded a new CD,
Lights, Camera, Music: Six Decades of John Williams, which was released during the season. The orchestra had two pre-season events which marked the first time the orchestra had ever used Symphony Hall before May: "Celebrating John Williams!" and "
E.T. in Concert". The Pops opened the season with
Queen Latifah, and went on to host such events as "
Mamma Mia! Mother's Day with the Music of
ABBA", working with Ben Folds, "Gospel Night" in its 25th anniversary with Floyd and the Boston Pops Gospel Choir;
Leslie Odom Jr. in his orchestral debut after starring in
Hamilton: An American Musical; performing a tribute to
The Beatles with Larry "Cha-Chi" Loprete as the host; "Parting with
The B-52s", and giving the world-premiere of
Sondheim on Sondheim with Philip Boykin, Carmen Cusak,
Gabriel Ebert, and
Lisa Howard as the vocalists.
2018: "Celebrating Leonard Bernstein's Centennial" (May 9–June 16, 2018) The 2018 Spring Season was announced on Monday, February 26, 2018, and featured a season-long celebration and tribute to
Leonard Bernstein's centennial. During the 2018 Pops Spring season, the orchestra worked with both Leslie Odom Jr. and
Andy Grammer (who was the Opening Night headliner) for the second time after successful Fourth of July performances, as well as
Sutton Foster again, who performed "A Broadway Celebration" with the orchestra. Some highlights of the season were the return of Laureate Conductor and legendary film composer John Williams for his annual "Film Night" appearances, in addition to an Opening Night salute to
Leonard Bernstein for the occasion of Bernstein's centennial later that year. In addition to celebrating Bernstein's centennial, the orchestra presented concert versions of both
On The Town and "
West Side Story In Concert". They "Danced to the Movies", and were joined by tenor
Alfie Boe who "Rocked the Pops" with them. The Pops were joined by
Ashley Brown,
Josh Strickland, Alton Fitzgerald White and
Merle Dandridge to perform beloved songs from 9
Tony Award-winning and
Academy Award-winning scores to "
Disney's Broadway Hits". The orchestra also performed "The Best of the Boston Pops" Concerts, a series that hadn't been featured since 2013. The Pops performed their annual "Gospel Night" with the Boston Pops Gospel Choir and guest star
Melinda Doolittle under the direction of Charles Floyd. The orchestra also welcomed back Leslie Odom Jr. with special guests
Renée Elise Goldsberry and
Phillipa Soo for "An Evening with Leslie Odom Jr".
2019: "Boston Pops: It's a Party!" (May 8–June 15, 2019) The 2019 Spring Season was announced on Monday, February 25, 2019, with the title "Boston Pops: It's A Party!"
Bernadette Peters was the Opening Night headliner, with the Pops performing a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the
Apollo 11 Moon Landing, the world premiere of "From The Earth to the Moon and Beyond", a piece by composer James Beckel. May 9 was the annual Presidents At Pops fundraising gala held every year. The orchestra performed the score to
Star Wars: A New Hope in its entirety, live to picture on May 10 and 11 (both the 3om matinee and the 8 pm concert), and 14.
2021: "Keith Lockhart's 25th Anniversary" (May 5–June 12, 2021) The 2020 Spring Season was announced on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, with a special acknowledgement towards Lockhart's 25th anniversary as conductor. On April 8, the Boston Symphony Orchestra announced that their spring season would be postponed due to the global
COVID-19 pandemic of early 2020–21. Keith Lockhart reassured patrons that the 2020 Spring Season would be performed the following year, although it would now be marking his 26th anniversary as conductor. Opening Night 2021 was Wednesday, May 5 at 8 pm and featured "An Evening with Penn & Teller", to be repeated on Thursday, May 6 at 8 pm. The Boston-based group
Guster joined the orchestra on Friday, May 7 and Saturday, May 8 at 8 pm to continue their orchestral performances.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was shown Wednesday, May 12 at 8 pm, Thursday, May 13 at 8 pm, Saturday, May 15 at 3 pm and Saturday, May 22nd at 3 pm. "
Songs of America with
Jon Meacham" was the program for Tuesday, May 18 at 8 pm (also
Arthur Fiedler Night 2021) and Wednesday, May 19 at 8 pm. The Pops were joined by Meacham and the
Tanglewood Festival Chorus, under the direction of
James Burton for the first two of their four appearances that spring. "
Ragtime In Concert" was the next performance, for Thursday, May 20 at 8 pm, and Friday, May 21st at 8 pm. "The Wonderful World of
Alan Menken's Music" was the program for Wednesday, May 26 at 8 pm, Thursday May 27 at 8 pm, and Saturday, May 29 at 2 pm. The Pops were joined by
Broadway actors
Sierra Boggess,
Telly Leung and Alton Fitzgerald White for these performances. "Celebrating 25 with Keith!" was presented as special performances on Tuesday, June 1, Wednesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 3 all at 8 pm. The Pops special guests for the event were
Megan Hilty and
Jason Danieley. "
Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of
Tim Burton" was performed on Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5, both at 8 pm. The Pops were conducted by
Ted Sperling and were supposed to be joined by the
Tanglewood Festival Chorus under the direction of
James Burton, for the last two of their four appearances that spring. "
Star Wars: The Story in Music" was performed on Wednesday, June 9 at 8 pm. "An Evening with
Amanda Palmer,
Neil Gaiman & The Boston Pops" was Thursday, June 10 and Friday, June 11, both at 8 pm. The Pops were joined by Palmer and Gaiman as special guests. "Gospel Night" was Saturday, June 12 at 8 pm. The Pops were conducted by Charles Floyd, and
Smokie Norful was the special guest.
Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular (1974–2016) The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is annually performed by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra on the banks of the
Charles River at the Esplanade (sometimes referred to by locals as the "Oval") of the
Hatch Memorial Shell in
Boston, Massachusetts, every
Fourth of July. It was made locally famous in 1974, during which local philanthropist
David G. Mugar approached legendary Pops conductor
Arthur Fiedler about adding cannons and fireworks during the performance of
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's famous "
1812 Overture" as well as fireworks and confetti to end
John Philip Sousa's march "
The Stars and Stripes Forever". It was a success, and they repeated it in 1975 and 1976, when it was made nationally famous, and even earned a spot in the 1976
Guinness World Records for having the largest audience for a classical concert since the book's founding in 1955. It's grown since the Bicentennial, and has earned a place in local traditions ever since. The program was broadcast on
WCRB (99.5 FM Boston) on the radio from 1974 to 2016, and
Bloomberg Radio from 2017 to present-day (2022), and was presented on television nationally (as "Pops Goes The Fourth") from 1993, 1995-2002 on
A&E Network, 2002-2016 on
CBS, and 2017-present-day (2022) on
Bloomberg; locally from 1984 and 1987 on
WGBH-TV; 1988 as part of the
Evening at Pops series on
PBS; 1993-2001 on
WCVB-TV Channel 5; 2002-2016 on
WBZ-TV (Channel 4); 2017-present-day (2022) on
WHDH (TV) (Channel 7) in Boston and the greater-Boston metro area. For the 2002 Fireworks Spectacular, the orchestra performed with
Maureen McGovern, who paid tribute to the centennial of legendary and iconic
Broadway composer
Richard Rodgers by performing "
My Favorite Things" (from
The Sound of Music), and
Barry Manilow, who paid tribute to and acknowledged the
September 11 attacks when performing his 1976 hit "
Weekend in New England." For the 2005 Fireworks Spectacular, the orchestra performed with
Big and Rich (who performed their hit "
Love Train"),
Gretchen Wilson, and
Cowboy Troy (who performed with Big and Rich for a new rendition of the Declaration of Independence), and highlighted their newest CD
America by performing "
The Star-Spangled Banner", "Armed Forces Salute", "This Is My Country", "The
Gettysburg Address" (narrated by then-
WBZ-TV news anchor
Jack Williams), "
Doodletown Fifers" (performed with the
Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums), "
God Bless America", "
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", the "Main Title" (from
Revenge of the Sith), Tchaikovsky's famous "
1812 Overture", and Sousa's classic march, "The Stars and Stripes Forever". For the 2006 Fireworks Spectacular, the orchestra performed with
Aerosmith, who performed "
Dream On" and "
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing".
American Idol contestant
Ayla Brown performed the national anthem. For the 2008 Fireworks Spectacular, the orchestra performed with
Rascal Flatts, who performed "
Life Is A Highway" and "
Every Day". For the 2009 Fireworks Spectacular, the orchestra performed with
Neil Diamond, who performed "
Sweet Caroline", "
Forever in Blue Jeans", "
Cracklin' Rosie", and "
America". During the 2010 Fireworks Spectacular, the orchestra celebrated its 125th season and the
Hatch Shell celebrated its 100th anniversary. The orchestra performed with
Toby Keith, who performed "
Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" and "
American Soldier". They also performed with the
Tanglewood Festival Chorus, soprano Renese King (who sang "We the People" (the theme song for
Visions of America), and they performed "The Dream Lives On: A Portrait of the Kennedy Brothers", with Lisa Hughes, Jack Williams, and local actors Jeremiah Kissel and Will LeBow. The Pops specifically commissioned the piece by
Peter Boyer and
Lynn Ahrens to be used during their 125th season. For the 2014 Fireworks Spectacular, the orchestra performed with actors
Julia Udine and Ben Jacoby from the 2014 U.S. touring production of
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical
The Phantom of the Opera, and
The Beach Boys, who performed "
Fun, Fun, Fun", "
Good Vibrations", and "
Surfin' USA". For the 2015 Fireworks Spectacular, Lockhart and the Pops performed with
Michael Cavanaugh who sang some of
Billy Joel's classic songs, the Boston-based band
Sons of Serendip, the
Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps (who performed the entirety of their 2015 Field Show,
Animal Farm; based on
George Orwell's 1945 novella
of the same name) and members of the
USO's Show Troupe. For the 2016 Fireworks Spectacular, Lockhart and the Pops performed with pop stars
Demi Lovato,
Nick Jonas (both performing on their joint world tour the
Future Now Tour), and
Grammy- and
CMA-winning country music stars
Little Big Town who performed the national anthem. The 2016 Fireworks Spectacular also marked
David Mugar's final Fireworks Spectacular show, which he produced for over 40 years.
Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular (2016–present) In October 2016, the Boston Pops agreed to take over the management of the annual July Fourth fireworks concert on the Esplanade and to take on the responsibility for finding a corporate sponsor for the $2 million cost. On March 7, 2017, it was announced that
Eaton Vance and
Bloomberg L.P. had been signed on as sponsors of the concert under a three-year deal, and that the telecast of the event would move from
WBZ-TV/
CBS to
Bloomberg Television. For the 2017 Fireworks Spectacular, Lockhart and the Pops performed with actor
Leslie Odom Jr. (of
Hamilton: An American Musical fame), 1990s pop singer
Melissa Etheridge, and pop singer
Andy Grammer, in addition to the
United States Army Field Band's Concert Band and Soldiers' Chorus. For the 2018 Fireworks Spectacular, the orchestra worked with
Rachel Platten,
Rhiannon Giddens, the
Indigo Girls, actresses
Rita Moreno and
Natalie Cortez (who was about to open in the ensemble in the world premiere of
Moulin Rouge!, which debuted in Boston in October 2018 and later debuted on Broadway in 2019), and the
Tanglewood Festival Chorus under the direction of
James Burton. In addition to Bloomberg nationwide, the show was carried by
independent station WHDH (channel 7) locally over-the-air, and online at
Boston.com,
BostonGlobe.com, bso.org (the Boston Symphony Orchestra's website), and on the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular app. For the 2019 Fireworks Spectacular, Lockhart and the Pops paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of
Woodstock by performing both a medley of the Theme and "
Pinball Wizard" from
The Who's
Tommy and a medley of "
Aquarius" and "The Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine In)" from
Hair. Lockhart and the Pops also performed with
Queen Latifah, folk legend
Arlo Guthrie (who paid tribute to his father
Woody Guthrie by performing "This Land Is Your Land"), poet
Amanda Gorman, two acts from
America's Got Talent,
The Texas Tenors and
Amanda Mena, and the
United States Navy Band's
Sea Chanters Chorus. The 2020 Fireworks Spectacular was canceled on May 8, 2020, due to the ongoing global
COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. In its place, the Pops decided to present "A Boston Pops Salute to Our Heroes" on July 4, with the only option for broadcasting it being on television, radio and digital media. The 2021 Fireworks Spectacular was announced on June 11, 2021. Due to the fact it typically takes 10 weeks to plan, it was decided to split the show into two portions. The musical portion would take place at
Tanglewood and broadcast live on-air and internet stream while the fireworks would take place on the
Boston Common. The guest artists were
Mavis Staples and
Jon Batiste (headliners), the
Six-String Soldiers of the
United States Army Field Band, the
Singing Sergeants of the
United States Air Force Band. The 2022 Fireworks Spectacular was announced on May 26, 2022, with the announcements that the event would be returning in full to the Massachusetts
Department of Conservation and Recreation Hatch Shell after a 2-year absence in addition to the selection of guest artists being announced at a later date. Additionally, the orchestra also announced a slew of tributes, a world premiere and a show of solidarity with
Ukraine, by performing its
State Anthem. The guest artists were announced on June 13, 2022, and were revealed to be
Chaka Khan (as the headliner), Broadway actress
Heather Headley, and
The Voice (American TV Series) season one winner
Javier Colon. The
Tanglewood Festival Chorus (under the direction of
James Burton) and the
Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes & Drums Corps. would be joining the Pops as well. The orchestra performed moving tributes to the late
Stephen Sondheim (as he died in November of 2021) ("A Comedy Tonight" from both the musical and film of
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, "Our Time" from
Merrily We Roll Along and "Children Will Listen" from
Into The Woods), and
Judy Garland (to celebrate her centennial), and world premiered a new work, "Those Heroes Who Healed The Nation" by Julius P. Williams. The 2023 Fireworks Spectacular was announced on May 26, 2023.
En Vogue will headline the Boston July 4 fireworks celebration, joining
Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops at the Hatch Shell. The award-winning R&B group behind popular 80's hits like “Free Your Mind” and “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” is the marquee entertainment at this year’s Fourth of July celebration. Also taking the Hatch Shell stage are Broadway star
Mandy Gonzalez (“In the Heights”), country duo
LoCash, and a trio of Broadway performers — Alton Fitzgerald White, Elizabeth Stanley and Andrea Jones-Sojola — who participated in the Pops’ concert presentation of “Ragtime: The Symphonic Concert.”
Holiday Pops (1973–present) Beginning in December 1973,
Arthur Fiedler and the Pops started an occasional tradition at Symphony Hall, which after a few years, became a yearly staple of the winter season in Boston—their Christmas concerts, which became known regionally and locally as Holiday Pops. Once Fiedler died in 1979,
John Williams continued the tradition as conductor from 1980 until 1993. After two years of guest conductors while the BSO were interviewing their next permanent conductor,
Keith Lockhart led his first Holiday Pops concert in December 1995. In addition to performing approximately between 40 and 42 each December, the Pops also began performing on New Year's Eve during Lockhart's tenure. The Holiday Pops 2014 season ran from Wednesday, December 3, 2014, through Wednesday, December 24, 2014, with a movie shown Friday and Saturday, December 26–27, 2014, and the New Year's Eve concert happening on Wednesday, December 31, 2014. 2014 was the year that the Pops began showing popular Christmas movies after their 40- or 42-concert season was over. The first movie chosen was
Home Alone. The score, written by the laureate conductor Williams, was performed live by the orchestra, accompanying the film. The New Year's Eve concert was performed by the Boston Pops Swing Orchestra, led by bandleader
Bo Winiker. 2015 was a significant year, because John Oliver, longtime conductor of the
Tanglewood Festival Chorus had retired at the end of the Tanglewood season that summer. The Holiday Pops 2016 season ran from Wednesday, November 30, 2016, through Saturday, December 24, 2016, with a movie shown Friday and Saturday, December 30–31, 2016, and the New Year's Eve concert happening on Saturday, December 31, 2016. The second movie chosen was
Back to the Future. The score, written by
Alan Silvestri, was once again performed live by the orchestra, in sync with the film. The New Year's Eve concert was performed by the Boston Pops Swing Orchestra, once again led by bandleader
Bo Winiker. 2016 was a significant year, because it was the first time in the history of the series of "Holiday Pops" concerts that the Tanglewood Festival Chorus performed without a conductor. 2017 was a significant year, because the BSO had chosen to replace John Oliver as the conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and he would begin conducting the chorus that year. The Holiday Pops 2017 season ran from Tuesday, December 5, 2017, through Sunday, December 24, 2017, with the New Year's Eve concert happening on Sunday, December 31, 2017. There was no movie chosen for that year. The New Year's Eve concert was performed by the Boston Pops Swing Orchestra. The Holiday Pops 2018 season ran from Thursday, December 6, 2018, through Monday, December 24, 2018, with a movie shown Saturday and Sunday, December 29–30, 2018, and the New Year's Eve concert happening on Monday, December 31, 2018. The third movie chosen was
Home Alone once again. Billed as
Home Alone In Concert, the score, written by Williams, was once more performed live by the orchestra, accompanying the film. The New Year's Eve concert was performed by the Boston Pops Swing Orchestra and special guest
Seth MacFarlane. The Holiday Pops 2019 season ran from Wednesday, December 4, 2019, through Tuesday, December 24, 2019, with a movie shown Saturday and Sunday, December 28–29, 2019, and the New Year's Eve concert happening on Tuesday, December 31, 2019. The fourth movie chosen was
Bugs Bunny At The Symphony. The score, written by
Carl Stalling, was performed live by the orchestra, accompanying the film. The New Year's Eve concert was performed by the Boston Pops Swing Orchestra and special guest
The Hot Sardines. The Pops introduced a
Sensory friendly concert for the first time on Saturday, December 7, 2019. The concert was designed and aimed at all families with children or adults diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or sensory sensitivities.
"A Visit from St. Nicholas" celebrity narrators Over the course of Lockhart's quarter-century tenure, there have been numerous celebrity narrators who have joined the orchestra to recite
Clement C. Moore's classic poem, arranged by Joseph Reisman. These narrators have included the likes of comedian
Jimmy Tingle (2005); singer
Amanda Palmer (2009);
New Jersey governor
Chris Christie (during the Pops' tour of Newark on December 5, 2010);
Greg Kretschmar (December 18, 2011);
Boston Bruins forward
Shawn Thorton (2012);
Casey Affleck (2014); newswoman
Janet Wu (December 16, 2014, and December 12, 2018); then senator-elect
Elizabeth Warren (2015); former baseball player and then-manager of the
Boston Red Sox Alex Cora (who made history by reading the poem in Spanish for the first time in 2018); Massachusetts governor
Charlie Baker (December 7, 2016, who announced that Lockhart would be a recipient of the 2017
Massachusetts Commonwealth Award);
Matt Seigel (host of the
Kiss 108 morning radio program "Matty In The Morning"; December 15, 2018); WBZ news anchor Lisa Hughes (December 11, 2017 & December 10, 2019); and WCVB Channel 5 news anchors
Ed Harding and
Maria Stephanos (December 10, 2016 & December 8, 2019).
"Sleigh Ride" celebrity guest conductors Over the course of Lockhart's quarter-century tenure, there have been numerous celebrity conductors who have joined the orchestra to lead them in
Leroy Anderson's famous composition. These conductors have included the likes of then-
Boston Celtics center
Shaquille O'Neal (2010), then-Massachusetts governor elect
Charlie Baker (2014), retired
Boston Red Sox second baseman and
NESN sportscaster
Jerry Remy (2018), and then-Boston Celtics center
Tacko Fall (2019), who became the tallest person to ever stand on the Symphony Hall podium. ==POPSearch==