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View Winners → Pasadena Pops season begins June 7
Arcadia Weekly May 01, 2014
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Starting another season at the Los Angeles County Arboretum on June 7 is the Pasadena Pops.
And this year it will be conducted by the ever-so-famous Michael Feinstein, said marketing director Lora Unger.
“Michael Feinstein opens the concert (on June 7) with ‘Feinstein’s Favorites,’ which is a grab bag of a few of his favorite things,” Unger said. “Michael’s programming is just so special because he brings rarely heard and unique archival music, from the garages of Peggy Lee’s granddaughter to the Smithsonian to MGM’s vaults. Michael has just a very special gift. He brings the great American songbook.”
Unger said Feinstein puts his personal touch on all the pieces.
“The way he presents them and the way the orchestra performs them they sound very relevant,” she said. “You’d think you knew them all along.”
Unger added the outdoor experience by having the concerts at the Arboretum is just remarkable.
“The Arboretum is what we’d like to call the best outdoor dinner party in town,” she said. “Audience members are invited to bring their own picnics. We also have food trucks, as well. Audience members, they enjoy seating around fine linen tables. You’re not in a box. You’re not in a concert hall. You can sit on the lawn, but people really get into the picnicking and the dining.”
Tena Clark’s Leading Ladies of Song is a highlight of the series on June 28, Unger said, as the show that night will feature a famous guest.
“Tena’s bringing Dionne Warwick and other singers to perform a lot of her music,” Unger said.
Other shows throughout the summer include “Michael Feinstein Sings Gershwin” on July 19, “Hurray For Hollywood,” with Maureen McGovern on Aug. 16 and “New York! New York!” with Jeremy Jordan and Patti Austin on Sept. 6.
“What makes our concerts unique is the artistic vision that Michael brings,” Unger said. “Nobody is doing this in the country, dare I say, the world. Coming to the Pops is a can’t-miss event because you’re not going to experience this anywhere else.”
For more information, log onto www.pasadenasymphonypops.org or call (626) 793-7172.
(Shel Segal can be reached at ssegal@beaconmedianews.com. He can be followed via Twitter @segallanded.)
Michael Feinstein will conduct this year’s orchestra. -Photo by Terry Miller and Story by Shel Segal
