2024 Boston Pops season, May 10–June 8

The 2024 Boston Pops season, May 10–June 8, under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart, features classic Boston Pops programming, including film scores from the silver screen, songs from Broadway and the Great American Songbook, gospel and jazz, and a program devoted to the music of Queen, along with an impressive lineup of Boston Pops debuts and new programs spotlighting World War II heroism and Boston Pride month. 

The Boston Pops’ 138th season opens on May 10 and 11 with one of the great entertainers of our time, Harry Connick Jr., singing American Songbook classics. Returning to the Pops for the first time since 2001, Connick performs in what will be the 35th anniversary year of the release of the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack that earned him his first Grammy Award and went multi-platinum. He joins Maestro Lockhart, who is in his 29th year leading the Pops, making him its second longest-serving conductor since the Pops was founded in 1885, after Arthur Fiedler. 

Keith Lockhart will conduct nine of the 10 programs. Veteran conductor and Pops regular Charles Floyd leads the season-ending Gospel Night spectacular on June 8, with Grammy-winning a cappella group Take 6 and the Boston Pops Gospel Choir, directed by Dennis Slaughter.

Statement from Keith Lockhart, Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor: 

“We could not be happier with the terrific lineup of guest artists joining us for the 2024 Boston Pops season. From Harry Connick Jr. to Take 6, Sutton Foster to Thorgy Thor, Branford Marsalis to Marc Martel, luminaries from Broadway, and a compelling concert presentation of World War II history to the extraordinary film scores of Jurassic Park by our own John Williams and Disney’s Encanto, I can’t remember a more diverse season with such great potential, both to please our loyal audiences and reach out and entice music lovers of all ages to visit Symphony Hall and experience ‘America’s Orchestra,’ the one and only Boston Pops Orchestra.” 

Statement from Chad Smith, Eunice and Julian Cohen BSO President and CEO:

“Our spring season brings some of the greatest living artists from contemporary pop, jazz, Broadway, and film music to the Symphony Hall stage with Keith Lockhart and the extraordinary musicians of the Boston Pops for programs that are filled with joy, inspiration, and superb music making. From Harry Connick Jr, Branford Marsalis, and Sutton Foster to our first-ever Pride Night concert and a multimedia program honoring World War II heroism, this Pops season both makes and celebrates history and offers the most exciting lineup in recent memory.” 

DYNAMIC NEW PROGRAMS: THE EYES OF THE WORLD: FROM D-DAY TO V-E DAY, PRIDE NIGHT WITH THORGY THOR, AND BROADWAY NOW! BROADWAY’S MODERN MASTERS 

To mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to V-E Day on May 29 and 30 tells the dramatic story of the final 11 months of World War II in Europe through music of the era (including Aaron Copland, Edith Piaf, Glenn Miller), the words of Ernest Hemingway and a young solider named Jerry who lands on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, as well as film and archival photos by LIFE magazine war photographer Robert Capa and Vogue model-turned-journalist Lee Miller. Created and narrated by historian John Monsky, this immersive concert experience includes four celebrated Broadway stars and music from the film Saving Private Ryan and miniseries Band of Brothers, in addition to original arrangements created for this performance. 

Also offered for the first time at Spring Pops is a June 1 Pride Night with Thorgy Thor to kick off Boston Pride month, an annual citywide celebration for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. The concert will pair the Boston Pops and Thor, one of the most in-demand drag queens today. Featured on the eighth season of the popular reality TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race and the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, Thor has appeared with major symphony orchestras in the U.S. and Canada, demonstrating both her extensive vocal and instrumental chops (she’s a classically trained violinist and violist). In a program that will include music, dance, and comedy, she will also perform with a surprise guest.  

On June 6 and 7, musical stars Victoria Clark (Tony Award winner for Kimberly Akimbo and The Light in the Piazza), Micaela Diamond (Tony nominee for Parade), Mandy Gonzalez (In the Heights and Hamilton), Darius de Haas (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Joshua Henry (Hamilton and Waitress), and Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder) headline the program Broadway Today!: Broadway’s Modern Masters. Conceived and directed by frequent Pops collaborator Jason Danieley (Ragtime: The Symphonic Concert and My Favorite Sondheim), the concerts showcase innovative, genre-breaking songs from exclusively 21st-century Tony-winning musicals, including The Light in The Piazza, The Band’s Visit, Kimberly Akimbo, Dear Evan Hansen, Hadestown, A Strange Loop, A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder, In The Heights, Parade, and Hamilton, with accompaniment from the Boston Pops. 

ALL STARS: MARC MARTEL & ONE VISION OF QUEEN, ROOTS OF JAZZ WITH BRANFORD MARSALIS, AND AN EVENING WITH SUTTON FOSTER  

On May 15 and 16, the Boston Pops and special guest Marc Martel join for a celebration of the music of the legendary rock band Queen. Martel, known for his striking vocal resemblance to Freddie Mercury, Queen’s lead singer, was a vocalist for the 2018 Oscar-winning biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, along with Mercury and Rami Malek. Martel has been fronting Queen's official tribute show, The Queen Extravaganza, since 2011. Now, 13 years later, he also tours all over the world with his own Queen tribute show, The Ultimate Queen Celebration, and orchestral show, Symphonic Queen.  

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis returns on May 22 and 23 and premieres a new work by talented young composer Edmar Colón, who dazzled audiences last season with his composition Fantasy in Blue for trumpet and orchestra. The program also introduces Pops audiences to the exciting young Colombian pianist Jesus Molina. Also in store for jazz lovers this Pops season is a celebration of the centenary of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. One of the most beloved works for piano and orchestra, the genre-melding piece was famously conceived by Gershwin on a train trip from New York City to Boston in 1924.

Fresh from Broadway runs in Sweeney Todd and The Music Man, two-time Tony award-winner Sutton Foster returns to the Pops on June 4 and 5 to perform tunes from the Great American Songbook and a few of the hit songs from her versatile Broadway career. The performance on June 4 will also feature winners of the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition. Always a highlight of the Spring Pops season, talented young musicians—chosen from high-school entrants across Massachusetts—will receive mentoring from Lockhart, Foster, and others, culminating in their first performances at Symphony Hall. Applications for the 2024 competition are open until March 11 (see details).

CONTINUING A BELOVED FILM TRADITION WITH ENCANTO IN CONCERT AND JURASSIC PARK IN CONCERT  

During Maestro Lockhart's tenure, the Pops has been at the forefront of performances of film music alongside screenings of beloved Hollywood classics, including performances of the original Star Wars trilogy, Jaws, Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Wizard of Oz, and Singin' in the Rain. This spring, the Pops and Lockhart will perform music from a recent family favorite and a classic John Williams score. 

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 2021 Academy Award-winning film Encanto comes to life in a concert event, featuring the entire feature-length film with a full orchestra performing the score. Encanto In Concert has performances by the Pops on May 11 and 18. The Encanto soundtrack features eight original songs by Academy Award-nominated, Tony and Grammy-winning songwriter/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, Moana) with an original score by Academy Award-nominated composer Germaine Franco.  Music from Encanto swept the Visual Media categories at the 65th Grammy Awards, winning Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, and Song Written for Visual Media (“We Don’t Talk About Bruno”). Presentation Licensed by Disney Concerts. All rights reserved. 

On May 24 and 25, featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, the action-packed adventure of Jurassic Park (1993) pits man against prehistoric predators in the ultimate battle for survival. The film won over 20 awards, including three Academy Award for technical achievements in visual effects and sound design. Experience Jurassic Park In Concert at Symphony Hall, with the film projected in HD and a full symphony orchestra performing Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams’ iconic score live to picture. 

Tickets

Tickets for the Boston Pops season at Symphony Hall are available at bostonpops.org or 617-266-1200 beginning on February 27 at 10 a.m. 

All performances start at 7:30 p.m., except for the 2 p.m. matinee performances of Encanto in Concert (May 11 & 12) and Jurassic Park in Concert (May 25). 

Pops concerts offer cabaret-style seating on the orchestra floor level with food and beverage service at the tables. Balcony seating is also available. Click here to view a Pops-style seating chart.  

Groups of 20 or more may receive up to 10% off regular ticket prices and waived handling fees. Please call the Group Sales Office at 800-933-4255 for more details. 

The Boston Symphony has a dedicated line for patrons with accessibility needs who would like to purchase tickets or need any further information. This line can be reached by calling 617-638-9341 or by emailing access@bso.org. Patrons with disabilities can access Symphony Hall through the Cohen Wing on Huntington Avenue or through the Massachusetts Avenue entrance. 

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2024 Spring Pops Sponsorship

The Boston Pops is proud to welcome back Fidelity Investments as Lead Season Sponsor for the 2024 Spring Pops season. For over 50 years, Fidelity Investments and the Boston Pops have proudly worked together to bring wonderful performances to local audiences. As our partnership grows, so does our investment in the community we both share. In 2009, the Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition was created for high school students to audition for the opportunity to perform live with the Boston Pops at a regular spring concert.

The Boston Pops is delighted to have Fairmont Copley Plaza continue its longstanding support as the Official Hotel of the Boston Pops.  

About the Boston Pops 

For more than 135 years, the Boston Pops has entertained audiences in Boston and beyond, with Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart leading the orchestra since 1995. It all began in 1885, thanks to the vision of Civil War veteran Henry Lee Higginson. Four years earlier, in 1881, he founded the Boston Symphony Orchestra, calling its establishment "the dream of my life." From the start he intended to present, in the warmer months, concerts of light classics and the popular music of the day. From a practical perspective, Higginson realized that these "lighter" performances would provide year-round employment for his musicians. The "Promenade Concerts," as they were originally called, were soon informally known as "Popular Concerts," which eventually became shortened to "Pops," the name officially adopted in 1900. The following year the orchestra performed for the first time in its new home, Symphony Hall. 

In 1930 Arthur Fiedler became the first American-born musician to lead the orchestra. In Fiedler’s nearly 50-year tenure as Pops Conductor (1930-1979), he established the Boston Pops as a national icon and began the tradition of offering free Fourth of July concerts on the Esplanade. When John Williams (1980-1993) succeeded Arthur Fiedler, he was the most highly acclaimed composer in Hollywood, and today, with 54 Academy Award nominations he is the most-nominated living person in Academy history. 

Keith Lockhart was named conductor in 1995 and has since led over 2,100 concerts with the Pops. He has created programs that reach out to a broader and younger audience by presenting artists—both established performers and rising stars—from virtually every corner of the entertainment world, all the while maintaining the Pops' core appeal. He has made 81 television shows, led 45 national and five overseas tours with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, led the Pops at several high-profile sports events, and recorded twelve albums. Lockhart's tenure has been marked by a dramatic increase in touring, the orchestra's first Grammy nominations, the first major network national broadcast of the July 4 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from the Esplanade, and the release of the Boston Pops' first self-produced and self-distributed recordings.?Last fall, Lockhart led a Pops tour in Japan and conducted 34 Holiday Pops programs in December.