2022 Boston Pops Spring Season Announced; Tickets Go On Sale April 5

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra are thrilled to announce their 2022 Spring Pops season, May 19-June 11.

Spring Pops 2022 features a celebratory spectrum of music, with favorite musical offerings such as film nights (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) in honor of the Boston Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams' 90th birthday year, the welcome returns of popular artists Brian Stokes Mitchell and Alton Fitzgerald White, conductor Charles Floyd, and pianist Lara Downes, as well as exciting Pops debuts by Broadway's Christopher Jackson, Susan Egan, and Telly Leung, and Grammy-winning gospel superstar Smokie Norful. Keith and the Pops will present their first in-person Boston Pops spring season at Symphony Hall since 2019; they welcomed back audiences for the first time during the 2021 Holiday Pops season.

Tickets to the 2022 Boston Pops season, starting at $33, are available beginning on Tuesday, April 5 at 10 a.m., by calling 888-266-1200 or by visiting www.bostonpops.org. Performances start at 8 p.m., except for the 7 p.m. film night performances of May 26 and 28 and June 2 and 3, as well as 1 p.m. matinee performances of The Magical Music of Alan Menken on Saturday, May 21 and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on Saturday, June 4.

Quote from Keith Lockhart, Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor

Keith Lockhart and Santa Claus [Photo by Winslow Townson]"The musicians of the Boston Pops Orchestra join me in expressing our sheer joy in presenting the upcoming Spring Pops season and welcoming back a live audience at Symphony Hall in 2022!

"While re-opening Symphony Hall last fall and with Holiday Pops, so many of us have felt the power and meaning of the live concert experience more than ever before. We bring the music of this spring season to our audiences, but it's our audiences-by their participation, enthusiasm, and expressions of gratitude-who bring all of us a sense of purpose and inspire a deep appreciation of community that enriches all our lives."

Get full details here:

Film nights: John Williams' Music from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

During Keith Lockhart's tenure, the Boston Pops has been at the forefront of the popular practice of presenting Hollywood classics accompanied by the film scores performed live, including recent performances of Star Wars: A New Hope, Jaws, Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Wizard of Oz, and Singin' in the Rain. This year, the Pops presents not just one but two films in tribute to Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams' 90th birthday year and all that Williams has contributed to the Pops and to the world of music. The Pops performs Williams' cherished scores to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on May 26 and 28 and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on June 2-4, live and in sync with the films.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in Concert is part of the Harry Potter Film Concert Series presented by CineConcerts.

Broadway at Pops: The Magical Music of Alan Menken and An Evening with Christopher Jackson

Opening the Boston Pops' 2022 season on May 19 and 21 is The Magical Music of Alan Menken, a wide-ranging tour through many of the composer's Broadway and film scores, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Little Shop of Horrors, Newsies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Tangled, among others. Lockhart is joined on the stage by Broadway stars Susan Egan (Beauty and the Beast, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cabaret, State Fair) and Telly Leung (Glee, Aladdin, Rent), both making their Pops debuts. Also featured is Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King, The Color Purple, Ragtime, and Miss Saigon) who last performed with the Pops in 2014 in Disney's Broadway Hits.

Making his Pops debut, Tony nominee Christopher Jackson-best known for originating the role of George Washington in Hamilton and starring in the CBS drama Bull-joins with the Pops on June 6 and 7 in music drawing from Jackson's favorite songs in pop, R&B, and Broadway, including hits by Donny Hathaway and Frank Wildhorn, as well as his own Emmy Award-winning songs. His performance on June 6 features winners of the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition. These talented young musicians, chosen from entrants across Massachusetts, will receive mentoring from Lockhart and Jackson, culminating in their first performances at Symphony Hall.

A Joyful Noise: Duke Ellington Reimagined and Gospel Night

On June 9 and 10, two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate, Ragtime, Shuffle Along, Man of La Mancha) and trailblazing American pianist Lara Downes explore with the Pops the extraordinary musical legacies of Duke Ellington and pianist/composer Billy Strayhorn, whose nearly 30 years of creative collaboration helped to shape the sound and spirit of American music as we know it. Lara Downes, who made her Pops debut in 2019 with the program "Rediscovering the Incredible Black Composer," will perform the world premiere of The Strayhorn Concerto, based on three of Strayhorn's most expressive songs-"A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing," "Strange Feeling," and "Something to Live For"-arranged by composer Chris Walden. (The Strayhorn Concerto is a Boston Pops co-commission.) The June 10 concert will be available as a live concert stream at bso.org/now (more details below).

To close the season on June 11, returning conductor Charles Floyd leads the 28th annual Gospel Night performance, featuring the Boston Pops Gospel Choir and special guest Smokie Norful. Best known for his 2002 album I Need You Now and the 2004 release Nothing Without You for which he won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, Norful has released five #1 Billboard Albums and been named Billboard's "Gospel Artist of the Year" several times. He is the founding senior pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Illinois.

Tickets for the Boston Pops season at Symphony Hall, starting at $33, go on sale beginning on Tuesday, April 5 at 10 a.m. at bostonpops.org or 617-266-1200. Performances start at 8 p.m., except for the 7 p.m. film night performances of May 26 and 28 and June 2 and 3, as well as 1 p.m. matinee performances of The Magical Music of Alan Menken on Saturday, May 21 and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on Saturday, June 4. The May 21 and June 4 matinee concerts include a 50% ticket discount for children ages 17 and younger. Groups of 20 persons or more may receive up to 10% off regular ticket prices and waived handling fees. Please call the Group Sales Office at 800-933-4255 for more details.

The Boston Symphony has a dedicated line for disabled patrons who would like to purchase tickets to BSO, Boston Pops, or Tanglewood concerts, or who need information about disability services at Symphony Hall or Tanglewood. This line can be reached by dialing 617-638-9431. For access via TDD/TTY, please call 617-638-9289. Patrons with disabilities can access Symphony Hall through the Cohen Wing on Huntington Avenue or through the Massachusetts Avenue entrance.

John WilliamsThe June 10 Duke Ellington Reimagined program, under the direction of Keith Lockhart and featuring singer/actor Brian Stokes Mitchell and pianist Lara Downes, will be available as a BSO NOW live stream and later as an on-demand stream from noon on June 23, 2022 through July 23, 2022. In addition, during the course of the Pops season, two archival Pops concerts will be available to viewers. Click here for further details about the 2021-22 BSO NOW online performance series and season pass information.

New this year: The Spring Pops program book will be offered in a digital format available through bostonpops.org. In addition, patrons sitting on the floor of the hall will be able to order food through their mobile phones by using a QR code visibly displayed on each table throughout the hall. A paper menu will be available for those who need it.

For 137 years, the Boston Pops has entertained audiences in Boston and beyond, with Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart at the helm of the orchestra since 1995. He has led the orchestra in more than 2,000 concerts, 81 television shows, 45 national and four overseas tours, and several high-profile sports events, including with the Red Sox and New England Patriots. Together Lockhart and the Pops have collaborated with nearly 300 guest artists from the worlds of classical and popular music, rock, jazz, sports, politics, Broadway, and Hollywood.

The Boston Pops and Keith Lockhart have brought the orchestra's music and spirit into the Boston community with special appearances at the holiday tree lighting in Boston's Public Garden, Children's Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital for annual holiday performances, and the Boston Common and Franklin Park, where they have played free concerts for the public. Mr. Lockhart and the Pops have also provided music for such significant civic events as gubernatorial and mayoral inauguration ceremonies, as well as the memorial service for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. Under Mr. Lockhart's direction, the Boston Pops received its first Grammy nominations, presented its first major national network broadcast of the July 4 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, performed its first live concert stream for for BSO NOW (bso.org/now), and released its first self-produced and self-distributed recordings. For more information about the Boston Pops, click here.

Now celebrating his 28th year with the Boston Pops, Keith Lockhart is the Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor.

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