Ben Folds News

What did our critic think of PICKNIC POPS: “PATRIOTIC POPS” at Grand Rapids Symphony? The Grand Rapids Symphony is reviving its most iconic and popular summer tradition. The Family Fare Picnic Pops has moved to Secchia Meadows at Millennium Park, and a unique concerts for every music lover!  Picnic Pops debuted at Cannonsburg Ski Area in 1995 and quickly became a family-friendly West Michigan summer favorite. The series was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and since then, the Symphony has been working to bring Picnic Pops back to the community.

Ben Folds, the acclaimed singer-songwriter and pianist, recently released a live album recorded with the National Symphony Orchestra.

Because of its great cultural and intellectual influence, Boston has been known as the Athens of America for centuries. That sobriquet is as true today as ever thanks to the area’s vibrant theater scene featuring pre-Broadway productions and national tours, Tony Award-winning regional theaters, and a host of other theater companies presenting everything from Shakespeare to classic and contemporary plays, musicals and concerts.

It’s a new day for one of Philadelphia’s most iconic musical legacies. On July 1, The No Name Pops is reborn as the Philly Pops.

The iconic Blue Note Jazz Club is set to open its Los Angeles location on August 14 and launches the first season of show programming throughout 2025, with the grand opening by five-time Grammy-winning artist Robert Glasper. 

The No Name Pops, soon-to-be Philly Pops, will present its return to the stage at the Pops on Independence free concert, part of the Wawa Welcome America Festival. Learn how to attend.

Featuring songs from Jeff Buckley, Golden Rainbow, Puccini, and beyond, UH OH! is a wild journey through the sacred soul of the artist in a capitalist world that demands she be commodified. Read a conversation with star and writer Kendal Hartse.

Donald J. Trump made his first formal appearance at the Kennedy Center since returning to office, attending the official opening of Les Misérables on Wednesday evening. See video from the show's opening night below.

Harris Center for The Arts will present Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter-composer Ben Folds, who is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation.

Today, SFJAZZ has revealed the lineup for 2025/26 SFJAZZ Season. Featuring over 350 concerts spanning over nine months, the season will feature the greatest names in jazz, rising superstars, and much more!

Apple TV+ will release an all-new original Peanuts musical special, “Snoopy Presents: A Summer,” premiering globally on July 18, 2025. The special will feature original music by Jeff Morrow and Ben Folds.

As Donald Trump plans to attend a fundraiser and performance of Les Misérables at the Kennedy Center on June 11, multiple cast members have opted out in protest.

Tanglewood will kick off its summer activities with Top Gun: Maverick in Concert in the Koussevitzky Music Shed. The Boston Pops will perform the score live to picture, conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulous on Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m.

The San Francisco Symphony has announced three upcoming performances as part of the 2025 Summer with the Symphony season.Tickets for all programs go on sale today at 10:00am PT.

The unmistakable voice, poetic storytelling, and genre-defying artistry of Regina Spektor take center stage this summer as her Midsummer Daydream Tour arrives at The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

​The Grammy and Emmy Award winning Time For Three will make its Music Worcester debut at the Jean McDonough Arts Center's BrickBox Theater. Learn more!

The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami announced the first lineup of distinguished alumni set to perform legendary hits spanning the decades at the Centennial Celebration Concert on Tuesday, April 8.

Gianandrea Noseda will remain National Symphony Orchestra music director through 2031, as the Kennedy Center adjusts to recent changes under President Trump. Noseda, who has held the post since 2017, said he sees more to accomplish with the ensemble.

President Donald Trump visited the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, presiding over his first board meeting since becoming chairman.

Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson teamed up with FINN creators Chris Nee, Michael Kooman, and Christopher Dimond to present a one-night-only performance that also celebrated the fifth anniversary of Stars in the House. Watch the full show here!