Celebrating a quarter-century of Keith Lockhart as Pops Conductor, the 2020 Boston Pops season features the musical "Ragtime," a live accompaniment to "The Empire Strikes Back," and appearances by Penn and Teller, Megan Hilty, Sting, and many other spectacular guest artists.
Update: The 2020 spring season of The Boston Pops has been canceled due to COVID-19. In this absence of live performances, WCRB is devoting Sunday nights to the Pops for six consecutive weeks, beginning May 17.
When Keith Lockhart arrived in Boston to take on the title of Boston Pops Conductor, he followed in the steps of not one, but two legends. Arthur Fiedler and John Williams had established the Pops as an icon of American music and entertainment. And over the next 25 years, Lockhart built on that legacy, leading over 2,000 performances and collaborating with over 300 guest artists and celebrities.
Now, as Lockhart and the Pops open their 26th season together, some of those artists return for a season that celebrates that partnership through everything from Broadway to rock and jazz to patriotic music.
Hear a preview of the season with Keith Lockhart:
Here are some highlights of the Boston Pops 2020 season:
- An Opening Night program (May 6 and 7) featuring magician/entertainers Penn and Teller, who made their Pops debut during Lockhart's very first week of programs in 1995.
- A concert version of the epic1996 musical "Ragtime" (May 21 and 22), created especially for the Pops and Keith Lockhart.
- A "Presidents and Pops" performance (June 9) by multiple GRAMMY-winning rock legend Sting.
- "Songs of America," with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham (May 19 and 20), a celebration of music that reflects the American story, from "The Star-Spangled Banner" to "Lift Every Voice and Sing" to "Born in the USA" and much, much more.
- "The Empire Strikes Back," screened with a live performance of the iconic John Williams score (May 13-16 and 23), as well as "Star Wars: The Story in Music" (June 10), a single program that brings together all nine John Williams "Star Wars" scores.
- "Celebrating 25 Years with Keith!" (June 2-4), with Broadway superstars Megan Hilty and Jason Danieley in music by George Gershwin.
- A Film Night program that features Danny Elfman's music from the Films of Tim Burton, with selections from "Beetlejuice," "Edward Scissorhands," "Batman," and many others.
For complete information about the 2020 season, visit the Boston Pops.
