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View Winners → Pasadena’s Most Celebrated Annual Free Concert Returns This Summer
Arts May 14, 2015
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Presented by Bank of America, Free Event Showcases Stars of the Screen and Stage
As the summer season grows closer each day, it’s time to join the Pasadena Symphony and Pops for its annual free Music Under The Stars concert on Saturday, June 6, on the steps of City Hall. Experience what crowds over 4,000 enjoyed last year, as for the first time the Pasadena Symphony and Pops joins the line-up of Make Music Pasadena, West Coast’s largest free music festival. Presented with sponsorship support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the 2015 Music Under the Stars concert will be a tribute to the Ladies of the Great American Songbook celebrating iconic music from Hollywood, Broadway and beyond!
“This year promises to be bigger than ever,” stated Lora Unger, Chief Executive Officer of the Pasadena Symphony Association. “With our partnership with Make Music Pasadena, we’re excited to join a day celebrating the musical tradition that builds such strong community within Pasadena.”
The family fun begins at 5:30 p.m. with pre-concert activities, family-style picnicking, and gourmet food trucks. Families can discover the wonder of creating their own music with the instruments of the orchestra at the instrument “petting zoo,” where kids of all ages can toot flutes, blow trumpets, bow strings, and bang on percussion instruments. Families can bring their own picnic along to enjoy at the site, or purchase a variety of offerings from a collection of gourmet food trucks.
Under the baton of multiple Tony Award-nominated Larry Blank, Resident Pops Conductor, the performance guest artists include Broadway sensations with the Tony award winning star Debbie Gravitte plus Meredith Patterson and Christina Saffran. Resident Conductor Larry Blank will emcee and lead the ensemble in musical selections from Rodgers and Hart, Marvin Hamlisch, Jule Styne, Steven Sondheim, George Gershwin and so much more. The JPL chorus, composed of volunteer JPL employees and under the direction of Donald Brinegar, completes the line-up for this captivating evening of Music Under the Stars. Grounds open at 5:30 p.m., the concert will take place between 7:30 – 9 p.m.
Gravitte, one of Broadway’s biggest personalities, a star on the Broadway stage to the concert stage and beyond won the prestigious Tony award for her performance in Jerome Robbin’s “Broadway” and has played in roles including “They’re Playing Our Song,” “Perfectly Frank,” “Chicago,” and “Les Miserables.”
Patterson made her Broadway premiere in the Tony Award Winning Revival of “42ndSt” and graced the stage in “The Boyfriend” under the direction of legendary Julie Andrews. Celebrated for her solo jazz show “Sweet Old Fashioned Girl,” Patterson voice has been heralded as “exquisite, a beguiling delight.”
Saffran’s career is extensive, having starred as Kathy Seldon in “Singin’ in the Rain,” (cast recording), Maggie in “A Chorus Line,” Shoo Shoo in “Sophisticated Ladies,” Rosa Bud and Edwin Drood in “Drood,” and Zaneeta in “The Music Man.”
“As a major supporter of the arts, Bank of America is proud to once again help bring events like Music Under The Stars to Pasadena,” said Jefferson Landers, Bank of America Merrill Lynch resident director, based in Pasadena. “By supporting cultural legacies like the Pasadena Symphony and POPS, we provide our communities with access to art and culture that not only offer social and education benefits, but also acts as an economic driver for the region.”
Bank of America’s arts program supports nonprofit arts and culture presenters at the local level and with leading world-class arts entities. Other programs include the Museums on Us® program, which offers Bank of America customers free access to 150 of America’s finest cultural institutions, and the Art in our Communities® program through which the company shares its corporate collection with museums throughout the world.
Admission to this event is free, and guests are encouraged to bring a picnic, blanket, and low-back chairs. Rental chairs will also be available at the event. For more information, visit www.PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org or call (626) 793-7172.
