Philadelphia, PA (July 10, 2014) — When The Philly POPS® premieres the 2014 Christmas Spectacular concert series, the audience will be filled with members of the military and first responders. At this first annual I’ll Be Home for Christmas — A Salute to the Military and First Responders, The Philly POPS will provide 2,000 tickets as a thank you to the people who support us all year long through the Liberty USO and the City of Philadelphia Fire and Police Departments. The concert will be held on December 5, 2014, at 8 p.m. at The Kimmel Center.
Philly POPS President Frank Giordano is thrilled to make this personal dream come true and to have so much corporate and individual support joining The Philly POPS to make this a reality. “At each Christmas concert, we recognize our military and last year I realized that we need to have them here, in our audience, to enjoy this incredible music. The military and first responders, who are members of the Philadelphia Police and Fire Departments, deserve to be recognized for putting their lives “on the line”. It’s my pleasure to distribute tickets through the cooperation of several partners including Joseph Brooks of Liberty USO, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, outgoing Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers and incoming Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer. They will see that deserving members of the military and the police and fire departments are invited. This entire effort has been made possible through the support of corporations, foundations and individuals who share our deep appreciation for all these altruistic people, who are the backbone of our nation. Our goal today is to rally more partners to help this effort.”
The guest conductor of the Christmas Spectacular series is Britain’s celebrated American-born conductor David Charles Abell, who is back by popular demand. The POPS’ exceptional musicians present beloved seasonal tunes in a rousing program guaranteed to please young and old. Each concert features three spectacular choirs — The Philadelphia Boys Choir, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Gospel Choir, and The Philly POPS Festival Chorus — and the ever-popular audience singalong. For the 2014 Christmas Spectacular series, The Philly POPS is pleased to welcome acclaimed singer/actor Hugh Panaro, who recently performed as the Phantom on Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera. Panaro is a Philadelphia native and Abell spent much of his youth growing up in Philly.
The Philly POPS has experienced record-breaking success in the 2013-2014 Season. Audiences are raving about the new energy of The Philly POPS and the talent and warm personality of Maestro Michael Krajewski, music director and conductor. Krajewski is a much sought-after conductor who has appeared with symphonies throughout the United States, Canada and around the world. He holds additional posts as Principal Pops Conductor with the Atlanta, Houston and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras. The Philly POPS, presented by Encore Series, Inc., is the largest stand-alone POPS orchestra in America, performing in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, and around the tri-state region. They are proud to have had record-breaking ticket sales for a three-concert series held in Verizon Hall at The Kimmel Center.
FOR SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION on the December 5 I’ll Be Home for Christmas — A Salute to the Military and First Responders, please call The Philly POPS office at 215.875.8004.
TICKETS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE to the December 5 I’ll Be Home For Christmas. This concert is invite-only for our military and first responders through the Liberty USO and the City of Philadelphia Fire and Police Departments.