PHILADELPHIA POPS

The Philadelphia Pops Orchestra has been wowing audiences since its inception in 1979.  Its main founder is Peter Nero, a Grammy-winning pianist who currently serves as music director, conductor, and arranger in addition to his work behind the piano.  The troupe operates primarily out of the Academy of Music and is frequently invited to tour other facilities.

The quality of the performers is due largely in part to the homegrown talent of the Philadelphia area, as well as those from the top venues in the country.  Nero takes special care to sign musicians which are skilled in different styles of orchestral playing, ranging from big band to jazz and even chamber.  This pays off in the sense that the troupe can effortlessly perform almost any piece, which is a major draw.

Philly Pops is so good, in fact, that its music has been featured in numerous PBS-television specials as well as on CBS during the 1988 "We The People" celebration of the signing of the Constitution.  Revered celebrities such as Ray Charles, Dionne Warwick, and James Earl Jones have appeared from time to time, usually reading passages from the Constitution as the band plays in the background.

The group has been invited to such venerable halls as New York's Carnegie Hall and the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and therefore does travel for a few months out of the year.  If you're going to be in the Philadelphia area, then you definitely do not want to miss your opportunity to take in a production.