The Philly POPS Named The Principal Orchestra Of The Met Philadelphia

Today, The Philly POPS and Live Nation Philadelphia announced a partnership, naming The Philly POPS as the Principal Orchestra of the Met Philadelphia. With this designation comes a new concert series at the Met, which will feature innovative concerts from Philly's favorite orchestra.

Over the next 24 months, Live Nation Philadelphia and The Philly POPS will present a series of Disney-themed performances, beginning with a Halloween screening of Tim Burton's iconic The Nightmare Before Christmas on October 24 and 25, 2019, accompanied by the full POPS orchestra. The Met's state-of-the-art technology allows for the effective presentation of film, an area of performance in which the POPS has long wanted to experiment. This film is one of a number of film presentations planned at the Met featuring the POPS.

The Philly POPS' legendary holiday tradition, A Philly POPS Christmas, makes its 2019 debut at The Met Philadelphia, but with an exciting twist. The Philly POPS Principal Guest Conductor David Charles Abell brings Hamilton star Mandy Gonzalez to the stage for this "Christmas in The City" show, pairing her with a soon-to-be-announced R&B talent for this holiday spectacular. These performances are scheduled for November 29 and December 1, 2019.

This slate of performances joins the two previously announced: Sarah McLachlan with The Philly POPS on August 5 and A Night at the Opera House: The Music of Queen on November 30. Tickets for these are available at www.themetphilly.com.

Tickets for Sarah McLachlan with The Philly POPS and A Night At The Opera House: The Music of Queen are now on sale. Visit www.themetphilly.com for tickets. On sale dates and ticketing information for The Nightmare Before Christmas and A Philly POPS Christmas will be announced in the coming weeks.

With this partnership comes a combined effort by Live Nation Philadelphia and The Philly POPS to directly benefit the School District of Philadelphia. Live Nation is already donating $0.25 from every ticket sold to a performance at The Met Philadelphia to Philadelphia Public Schools. The Philly POPS, through its POPS in Schools program, currently provides supplemental music education to 3,000 students throughout the School District, including five schools in North Philadelphia neighborhoods surrounding the Met Philadelphia.

"We are excited about the new possibilities that will come from our partnership with The Philly POPS," said Geoff Gordon, Regional President for Live Nation. "Live Nation has partnered with The Philly POPS for the July 4 Welcome America Party on the Parkway for the past few years, and we are looking forward to the innovative programming the POPS will bring to the Met's stage."

"Bringing the POPS uptown to the Met Philadelphia is a wonderful new way for us to bring our music to the community, and to enrich Philadelphia's cultural scene as a whole" said Frank Giordano, President and CEO of The Philly POPS. "We are grateful to our partners at Live Nation, and we are honored to play a part in the Met's historic rebirth."

For more details on The Philly POPS at The Met series, visit www.phillypops.org/met.