Princeton Festival POPS! Concerts Tap Into Broadway & Familiar Favorites

The Princeton Symphony Orchestra (PSO)'s pulls out all the stops with two separate family-friendly pops concerts capping off its 16-day Princeton Festival. On Friday, June 24 at 7pm Broadway's leading lady Sierra Boggess marks her third Broadway POPS! appearance with the PSO performing favorite melodies from shows including Phantom of the Opera, The Music Man, Guys & Dolls, She Loves Me, My Fair Lady, and The Little Mermaid.

On Saturday, June 25 at 7pm Edward T. Cone Music Director Rossen Milanov celebrates music's ability to inspire and unite a community with a Family POPS! concert. The program includes striking orchestral works by Handel, Rossini, Brahms, and Grieg plus patriotic music by Hailstork and Sousa, sure to resonate with children of all ages. In a special performance of Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony under the baton of Kenneth Bean, young musicians from the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey (YOCJ) will play side-by-side with the PSO.

Both concerts take place under a 10,000 square-foot performance tent on the grounds of Morven Museum & Garden, and are conducted by Rossen Milanov.

Maestro Milanov says, "Music is meant to be shared, and the Festival pavilion is the perfect place to experience it this summer with the entire family. Music sparks the imagination, connects with thoughts and emotions, stimulates creativity-all so important, particularly for children."

Families are invited to arrive on the grounds of Morven as early as 5pm on Saturday, June 25 to picnic and take advantage of an array of music-making activities including an instrument petting zoo, a gigantic keyboard, make-your-own instrument stations, and more! The activity period, which continues to 6:30pm, is free and open to the public.

Sierra Boggess is regarded as one of Broadway's most beloved leading ladies. She is best known worldwide for re-inventing the coveted role of Christine Daaé in Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. Sierra made her Broadway debut as Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid. Her additional Broadway credits include Master Class, It Shoulda Been You, The Phantom of The Opera, and School of Rock. Off- Broadway credits include Love, Loss, and What I Wore and Music in the Air. In the West End, Sierra has appeared as Fantine in Les Misérables and originated the role of Christine Daaé in Love Never Dies, receiving an Olivier Award Nomination. She starred as Cinderella in the Hollywood Bowl production of Into the Woods, as Danielle DeBarbarac in Ever After at the Alliance Theatre, and as Countess Ellen Olenska in the world premiere of The Age of Innocence at Hartford Stage.

The Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey (YOCJ) was founded in 1978 by the late Portia Sonnenfeld as a preparatory orchestra for the Mercer County Symphony Orchestra (now called the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra). In 1999, with increased enrollment, the orchestra was incorporated under the name "Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey." Unique to YOCJ are its chamber groups for flute, saxophone, brass, woodwinds, and percussion that offer an unparalleled opportunity for small ensembles that feature these instruments in performance. YOCJ is a growing, vibrant organization that looks forward to carrying on the tradition of providing diverse musical experiences to the talented young musicians of our region. Kenneth Bean took over as conductor of the YOCJ Symphonic Orchestra when he became Assistant Conductor of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2021.

Tickets for all Princeton Festival performances range from $10 - $130; ticket packages are $18 and up; youth (ages 5-17) half-price. Call 609-497-0020 or visit princetonsymphony.org/festival.

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