Cincinnati Pops Presents HOLIDAY POPS at the Van Wezel Tonight

With millions of recordings sold, the Cincinnati Pops, performing at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall tonight, December 11, is one of the world's most admired ensembles.

Under the direction of John Morris Russell, the Pops tours nationally and internationally, most recently performing in Beijing as part of the Opening Festivities of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, and before that, in 2005, they completed a historic tour as the first US pops orchestra to perform in China. Following their first historic trip to China, a 2005 editorial in the Cincinnati Enquirer said the tour had "put an exclamation mark on our orchestra's phenomenal popularity in China, cultivated through its dozens of recordings. John Morris Russell began his tenure as Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in September 2011. Mr. Russell "has shown a new generation the strength and versatility of symphonic pops," raves the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Additionally, one of Broadway's most heralded leading men, the Tony Award-winning, Brian Stokes Mitchell will join the Cincinnati Pops as the vocalist on a number of holiday classics. Brian won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for Kiss Me Kate. Other beloved roles included Ragtime (opposite Audra McDonald), Jelly's Last Jam and his Tony nominated role of Don Quixote in the Man of La Mancha revival. Brian's rich and powerful baritone will enthrall the audience as he puts his signature on timeless holiday tunes.

An estimated 30 million people have viewed eight national telecasts of the Cincinnati Pops on PBS, and the Orchestra has more than 100 available recordings, 56 of which have appeared on the Billboard charts, a record unmatched by any other orchestra. The Pops' Copland: Music of America won a Grammy in 1997, and four other Pops recordings have been nominated for Grammy awards.

Tickets are priced from $35-$90. To purchase, visit VanWezel.org, the Box Office or call 941-953-3368.

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