Gospel Night at the Pops – June 2019

Can I get an amen?  We attended Gospel Night at the Pops inside Boston’s Symphony Hall last night.  Let me just say Hallelujah!

After meeting with friends and enjoying an unbelievable dinner in Eataly at La Pizza e La Pasta (let me just say – this was SUPERB!), we walked the short distance from the Prudential Center to Symphony Hall.

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The Pops Orchestra was led by guest conductor Charles Floyd, whose CV reads like a who’s who of fabulous orchestral experiences and performances.  This gospel performance spotlighted the Boston Pops’ Gospel Choir, which comes together for this show with volunteers from various local choirs, longtime award-winning gospel vocalist Dottie Peoples, and a list of soloists that were just amazing.

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This gospel performance (gospel meaning good news), with a bit of a tribute to Aretha Franklin, was the last show for the Pops at Symphony Hall this season.  BTW, you won’t find better acoustics than what you will find at Symphony Hall, and this is just a beautiful place to watch a symphony or any performance.

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In its’ 134thseason (since 1885), the Boston Pops is basically an institution in Boston, as a symphonic outgrowth of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, it was created as a means to entice a broader audience, employ the symphony year round, as well as play lighter and more popular music (hence the shortened name Pops) .

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Pops in Symphony Hall (Boston) – photo courtesy BSO

The Pops entertains an early summer schedule at Symphony Hall, and then moves out to Tanglewood (Lenox, MA) for the remainder of the summer, performing in a largely outdoors venue.

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Lenox- photo courtesy Alamy

The Pops also hosts the fabulous Independence Day (4thof July) concert on the Esplanade, on the Charles River in Boston – an event not to be missed.  Can you say 1812 Overture??  Da da da da da da da BOOM daa daa.

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Esplanade on the Charles River – photo courtesy Columbia Artists

Hallelujah!  Let me just say, we were taken to church last night – a great night!!

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Note:  This post is short on personal pictures because photos are not allowed in Symphony Hall.  However, I was able to surreptitiously snap a few at the end of the concert after the orchestra had departed.

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