The 8 PM concert at Symphony Hall, titled Stars and Stripes: American Heroes, will also feature performances by Brian Stokes Mitchell, Cherry Jones, Renese King and Arlo Guthrie. Conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops commissioned The Dream Lives On, which features music by Peter Boyer ("Up," "Ellis Island") and lyrics by Tony Award winner Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime, Once On This Island).

"The Dream Lives On" will be recorded live for future release. Boston's WCVB-TV5 will also capture the evenings for future broadcast as part of "An American Salute: The Pops at 125" May 31st at 7:30 PM.

According to the Pops, "This new multi-media work combines quotes from speeches by the Kennedy brothers with original text and video, accompanied by a dramatic orchestral and choral score. The Dream Lives On pays tribute to the towering achievements and singular spirit epitomized by the Kennedy brothers—the call to public service, drive for social change, and the legacy of optimism for America’s future. The title of the work was taken from the closing lines of Ted Kennedy’s speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention."

On July 18, the Pops will again perform The Dream Lives On with special guest Alec Baldwin as narrator at the Tanglewood Festival. Chris Cooper will narrate a performance of the work in the Kennedys hometown of Hyannis, MA, Aug. 1.

The Pops have announced that The Dream Lives On will also be presented May 20, 21 and 22, and July 3 and 4 on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Guest performers will be announced shortly.

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