The Philly POPS Brings Patriotic Music to Wawa Welcome America! Festival Tonight

Tonight, July 3, 2014 at 8 p.m. in front of Independence Hall, The Philly POPS is proud to present Conductor Larry Blank, who will be standing in for Peter Nero, with guest soloist Capathia Jenkins to perform a free, patriotic celebration in honor of America's birthday. The concert is part of the Wawa Welcome America! Festival -- the nation's largest, free 4th of July festival. The open-air concert will take place on the lawn at 6th and Chestnut Streets. Visitors are invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets and experience Philadelphia's world class POPS orchestra play a rousing set of familiar patriotic tunes to launch the holiday.

Larry Blank is one of the most prolific and sought after composers, conductors, and orchestrators in the entertainment business today. His work has been presented all over the world, including some of Broadway's most successful musicals, Carnegie Hall, and top television and film projects. Mr. Blank conducted The Philly POPS in March 2014 for the very popular Musical Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch and he has guest conducted with other orchestras throughout the world, including The San Francisco Symphony, The New York Philharmonic, Western Australia Symphony Orchestra, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Palm Beach Pops, Auckland Symphony, The National Symphony Orchestra, The Boston Pops, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Symphony, New Orleans Symphony and Toronto Symphony.

"Capathia Jenkins has the kind of voice that angels might envy," said David Kaufman in the Daily News, and she will set off her own fireworks as the guest singer with The Philly POPS at Independence Hall. With such Broadway credits as Newsies, The Civil War, The Look of Love with critical acclaim for her performances of the Bacharach/David hits, Caroline, Or Change and Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me where she brought the house down every night for her song "Stop the Show.'

An active concert artist, Ms. Jenkins has appeared with orchestras around the world including the National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony (with Marvin Hamlisch), Atlanta Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic Seattle Symphony, and in 2011 Capathia had the great honor of performing in the 'Broadway Ambassadors to Cuba' concert as part of the Festival De Teatro De La Habana.

Wawa Welcome America! is a multi-day festival that celebrates America's birthday in America's birthplace, Philadelphia. Wawa joined the festival as the title sponsor in 2010. For more information, visit www.welcomeamerica.com, like the Wawa Welcome America! page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/WawaWelcomeAmerica) and follow the festival on Twitter and Instagram (@July4thPhilly).

Entering its 36th season in October, 2014, audiences are raving about the new energy of The Philly POPS and the talent and warm personality of Maestro Michael Krajewski, Music Director and Conductor, who conducts pops orchestras throughout the world and holds additional posts as Principal Pops Conductor with the Atlanta, Houston and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras. "It's been an exciting season for all of us," Philly POPS President Frank Giordano said, as they have surpassed all expectations for the 2013-2014 season in ticket sales, fundraising and guest responses. Giordano continued, "It's clear we are a revitalized music organization as our subscription and donor base is expanding."

The Philly POPS is the largest stand-alone POPS orchestra in America, performing in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, and around the tri-state region, entertaining audiences with an eclectic mix of musical genres. The Philly POPS is a founding resident company of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra boasts a blend of the most talented and best musicians from the musically rich Philadelphia region. The Philly POPS is presented by Encore Series, Inc. For more information about The Philly POPS, please visit www.phillypops.org.