Seth MacFarlane Launches Boston Pops' 2016 Season Tonight

We have a feeling Broadway fans are going to love the 2016 Boston Pops season, running tonight, May 6, through June 18, under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart.

Featuring classic Boston Pops programming, including film scores of the silver screen, ballads from Broadway and the great American Songbook, classic rock anthems, and a Gospel Night spectacular, along with an impressive lineup of Boston Pops debuts, new programs that spotlight the best of the worlds of dance and puppetry, and the return of last year's audience favorite -- Pops On Demand: You Choose the Tunes -- the lineup features a slew of Broadway talent, including Sutton Foster, Mandy Patinkin, and Marin Mazzie & Jason Danieley.

The 2016 Boston Pops season opens and closes with the debuts of two widely popular artists from the entertainment world: TONIGHT, May 6, the season opens with Seth MacFarlane singing American Songbook classics from the '40s and '50s; the season closes on June 17 and 18 with Brian Wilson performing Pet Sounds, widely acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all time.

The 2016 Boston Pops season will also see the debuts of Sutton Foster, in an evening of song and dance, reprising many of her hit songs from her versatile Broadway career (5/26 & 27), and American conductor David Charles Abell, leading a Gershwin celebration, featuring the Pops's acclaimed arrangements from its extraordinary library of more than 3,500 of exclusive works (5/18&19).

Keith Lockhart and the Pops also welcome first-time appearances by performers from Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance (5/7&8), and the first-ever collaboration with the University of Connecticut's highly acclaimed puppet arts program, whose alumni have created and performed puppets for Avenue Q, The Lion King, and The Muppets, among many other mainstream movies and Broadway shows (5/21). In addition, the legendary Darlene Love, in her Boston Pops debut, joins conductor Charles Floyd for the annual Gospel Night program (6/11).

One of the most versatile entertainers working today, Mandy Patinkin, who last performed with Keith Lockhart and the Pops on the maestro's inaugural concert at Symphony Hall in 1995, returns to the orchestra for the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition Night (June 7) and the 35th annual Presidents at Pops corporate fundraiser (June 8). Tom Scholz joins Keith Lockhart and the Pops for performances of some of BOSTON's biggest hits of the 70's and 80's (5/10&11). The 2016 Boston Pops season welcomes the return of favorite artist Liz Callaway, featured in a full symphonic tribute to Carole King (6/9&10).

The season will also feature annual traditions such as the ever popular Film Night with Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams and Keith Lockhart leading the orchestra in an evening of film music classics, as well as music from Mr. Williams' new score to Star Wars: The Force Awakens (5/12&13). Keith Lockhart leads two recent programming favorites, including a special film presentation of Raiders of the Lost Ark, with a full orchestral score performed by the Boston Pops (6/3&4). Following its highly successful debut last year, Pops on Demand: You Choose the Tunes, under the direction of Mr. Lockhart, returns to the Pops lineup, inviting audience members to use their mobile phones in real time to choose the music they want to hear performed (5/25, 6/1&14). Detailed program descriptions for the 2016 Boston Pops season appear below.

The season will feature three Matinee Family Concerts starting at 3 p.m. including the "Dancing with a Twist" concert, on May 8; "Puppets with the Pops" concert, on May 21; and "Raiders of the Lost Ark Live with the Boston Pops" performance, on June 4.

Tickets to the 2016 Boston Pops season, priced from $24 to $130, go on sale to the public on February 22, at 888-266-1200 or www.bostonpops.org. Audience initiatives include a 50% off ticket deal for the May 8 and May 21 concerts for children ages 17 and younger, a Choose-Your-Own custom subscription, and 15% off for groups of 25 or more. Tickets may be purchased online at www.bostonpops.org or by phone through SymphonyCharge at 617-266-1200 or 888-266-1200.

Affectionately known as "America's Orchestra," the Boston Pops, founded in 1885, is the most recorded and arguably the most beloved orchestra in the country, beginning with the establishment of the modern-era Pops by Arthur Fiedler (1930-1979) and continuing through the innovations introduced by John Williams (1980-1993) and the new-millennium Pops spearheaded by Keith Lockhart (1995-present). Having led more than 1,700 Boston Pops concerts, Keith Lockhart marks his twenty-second season as Boston Pops Conductor in 2016. The Boston Pops season takes place in the festive atmosphere of world-famous Symphony Hall, where patrons sit at cabaret-style tables and order food and drink with family and friends, all while taking in the music and entertainment presented by the one and only Boston Pops. The 2016 Boston Pops season, May 6-June 18, under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart, presents a wide spectrum of musical styles, representing both timeless favorites from the orchestra's 131-year tradition of music-making and new programming directions that feature current pop culture trends designed to appeal to both the orchestra's treasured loyal audiences and newcomers to the Boston Pops experience.

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Opening Night with Seth MacFarlane

Keith Lockhart, Conductor

Friday, May 6, 8 p.m.

Best known as the creator of Family Guy, Ted, and American Dad!, Oscar- and Grammy-nominated producer/actor/director Seth MacFarlane is also a baritone with a love of the Great American Songbook. MacFarlane, who was raised in New England and lived and worked in Boston, joins Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops for a program of classic songs from the '40s and '50s including "Old Devil Moon,""I Have Dreamed," and "Some Enchanted Evening."Mr. MacFarlane has some surprises in store for Boston Pops audiences, including several brand-new arrangements. Seth MacFarlane's third studio album, No One Ever Tells You, was released in September 2015. Learn more about the album from this interview with "Access Hollywood" and listen to the title track here. Learn more about Seth MacFarlane on Facebook or by following him on Twitter.

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Tickets for the 2016 Boston Pops season at Symphony Hall, priced from $24 to $130, are on sale at www.bostonpops.org or 888-266-1200. All performances start at 8 p.m.