Tucson, AZ---The Tucson Pops Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the Tucson Pops Orchestra™ will kick off its 69th spring season of Music Under the Stars ™ on Sunday, May 12 at 7pm. Maestro Khris Dodge is excited about the programs that he and the orchestra will present on the 12th, 19th, and 26th at Reid Park in celebration of Mother’s Day, Our Planet and Memorial Day. “We are truly blessed to have the most talented artists in the region perform for us throughout the year who are dedicated to providing the highest quality musical entertainment for us all”.
Tucson’s top food trucks presented by Food Truck Roundup will once again be on site to provide the perfect provisions for dining while enjoying the music. New this year is the Pops Beer Garden offering local brews and wines. The fee to sit in the beer garden for the evening is $10 pp. Reservations can be made at www.tucsonpops.org/beergarden/may2024. Tucson Pops Concerts are open to all, Donations are highly encouraged to ensure that Music Under The Stars™ will be available to all for many years to come..
Tucson Pops Fall Orchestra Spring 2024 Performance Schedule
May 12th - Annual Mother's Day concert, featuring special guest Gabriel Ayala and guest artist Dr. Jeanine Remy, from the University of the West Indies on Steel Drums.
The opening concert of the spring season honors moms everywhere with a full program of classic favorites like Polonaise by Rimsky-Korsakov, Shostakovich’s Festival Overture, Cavatina (from the Deer Hunter) and more. Gabriel Ayala will perform Baille de la Cubana and more. Ms Remy and her steel drums will join the orchestra for the Caribbean inspired piece Rainorama.
May 19th - Music for The Planet and a Better World with special guests from Ballet Tucson and the Saguaro Music Theatre and Guest Conductor Susan Claassen and Vocalist Kathryn Byrnes
This concert is a post-Earth Day Celebration of our precious environment and the people who make a difference in our World. Ballet Tucson presents two world premieres: The first is choreographed by Artistic Director Margaret Mullins and accompanied by Debussy’s Clair de Lune with Marie Sierra on piano with the orchestra. Dancers: Lauren Vogel and August Hartung. The second premiere is entitled Springtime Swing, choreographed by Danielle Cesanek. Dancers: Emma Greenawalt, August Hartung, Darcey Lynn, Jessica Lynn, Sally Megargee, Hannah Smith, and Lauren Vogel
Saguaro City Music Theatre partnered with songwriter Cameron Hood (Ryanhood) in the development of his new work from the musical “Voyager”. featuring two vocalists James Kelley Carroll & Samantha Beemer. The concert also includes a special tribute to Susan Claasen, Artistic Director of Invisible Theatre and the numerous contributions that she has made to our world over the past 49 years. Vocalist Kathryn Byrnes will perform There’s No Business-Like Show Business. Other selections are dedicated to the world we live in and include Sunrise in Napoli, Debussy’s Clair de Lune, What the World Needs Now by Bert Bacharat, George Gershwin compositions and much more.
May 26th - Memorial Day Concert with special guest narrator Greg Curtis Wakefield.
Opening with the moving DMAFB Honor Guard Presentation of Colors, this concert pays tribute to the US Armed Services. Classic patriotic songs like Stars and Stripes Forever, Arm Forces Salute, Star Spangled Banner, Hymn to the Fallen, the poignant Hymn to the Fallen and more. The evening will conclude with America the Beautiful.
The Tucson Pops Orchestra • Sharing the joy of live music since 1955
The fall 2024 concert series is sponsored by Long Realty Companies, Carelon Healthcare Services, Tucson Parks & Recreation and Friends of the Pops with additional support from the Arizona Commission on the Arts.
About Music Under the Stars™
The DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center is located at Reid Park off Country Club Road just north of 22nd Street. Parking and shuttle service is also available at the Randolph Park Golf Course parking lot, Alvernon Way just north of 22nd Street.
The Tucson Pops Orchestra has provided outdoor concerts to Tucson and southern Arizona audiences since 1955. Founded by Georges DeMeester and Ernest Hoffman with just 22 musicians, the orchestra has since grown to 50 professional members that perform for audiences of up to 8,500. Before settling in their seasonal location at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park, the orchestra used to perform in various locations around the community. In 1973, Charles ‘Bucky” Steele took over as conductor, followed by Laszlo Veres who retired and passed the baton to Khris Dodge in the fall of 2022. Now in its 69th year, with support from Tucson Parks and Recreation, corporate partners and Friends of the Pops, the Tucson Pops Orchestra aims to continue to fulfill its mission of providing Music Under the Stars™ to the community for many more years to come. For more information on the Tucson Pops Orchestra visit us on facebook.com or at tucsonpops.org or call (520) 722-5853. Detailed bios and photos of artists are available upon request.
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