The South Jersey Pops, the area’s own non-profit orchestra, concludes its COVID-interrupted 50th anniversary season with a concert May 15, 2022, at Lenape High School paying tribute to the next generation. “Beautiful Tomorrow: The Music Makers of Pops’ Future” is the musical denouement of a season that previously evoked the Pops’ past and present through music.
Featuring a guest performance by Haddonfield-based ChildrenSong, an elite youth choir dedicated to inspiring artistic excellence in choral musicians of the future, the second post-pandemic concert celebrates music for and about children, their teachers, parents and other mentors whose influence makes their future bright. Robert Bradshaw of Audubon, founder of the Haddonfield School of Music and the South Jersey Pops’ musical director, will once again conduct.
“It’s been two-plus years of uncertainty and difficulty. Our milestone season has taken on even more significance as it’s looked back at the orchestra’s history with classic and nostalgic selections, then the present with contemporary hits from popular culture, and now it’s culminating with a concert filled with optimism for a better future led by the younger generation,” said South Jersey Pops Executive Director Christian Stebbins. “We’re paying tribute to the children, and those guiding them to make their imprint on the world.”
“Beautiful Tomorrow” will include noteworthy selections from shows and films for and about children. “Tomorrow” and other numbers from Annie will be joined by music from The Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series, among others. The Pops will also salute teachers, parents, and mentors with music from the Sidney Poitier film To Sir, with Love and Michael Kamen’s “An American Symphony” from Mr. Holland’s Opus. The names of influential teachers of orchestra members will appear on screen.
“Beautiful Tomorrow: The Music Makers of Pops Future” begins at 3 p.m. May 15; doors open 60 minutes before the performance. All guests must wear a mask during the concert.
Admission is $15 for adults, and $5 for children under 12. Children under 2 are free. Lenape High School is located at 235 Hartford Road, Medford, N.J. To order tickets, visit www.southjerseypops.org/events.
Founded in 1969, the South Jersey Pops is a 60-piece community orchestra based in Burlington County, New Jersey. Comprised of professional and volunteer instrumentalists, the orchestra brings stylistic musical entertainment to South Jersey. For more information on the South Jersey Pops, visit www.southjerseypops.org.
