The 30th anniversary season will kick off Oct. 5-12 with Broadway Showstoppers featuring the talents of Phantom's Anne Runolfsson and Gary Mauer and Spamalot's Lauren Kennedy.
Visions of America, which is billed as "An Inaugural Concert for the People," will be presented Jan. 25-Feb. 1, 2009. The multi-media production is a collaboration between the Pops, photographer Joseph Sohm, Grammy-winning pianist/composer Roger Kellaway and Oscar-winning lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The production promises to take audiences on a "a moving visual and musical journey through our great country, inspiring audiences to experience the ideas, hopes, and dreams that unite us as Americans."
Frank Sinatra interpreter Steve Lippia will join the Pops for A Celebration of Ol' Blue Eyes Feb. 15-22, while jazz vocalist Diane Schuur will be featured in 88 Keys and a Voice, April 19-26.
Keith Buterbaugh and Crazy for You's Jodi Benson will be the Pops' special guests for Hooray for Hollywood, which will be presented May 10-17. The evenings will feature music from the silver screen.
And, on June 20, the Pops will celebrate its 30th anniversary in an evening at the Wachovia Center that is titled Thanks for the Memories! 30 Years of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. The evening will boast performances by Cirque de la Symphonie and world champion ice skaters. For ticket information call (215) 893-1999 or visit www.phillypops.org.
