When
7:00 p.m. Pre-concert conversation with Maestro Michael Krajewski and guest vocalist Michael Andrew on the Plaza Stage in Kimmel Center’s Commonwealth Plaza
7:30 p.m. CAPA Concert Choir performs Sinatra songs on Plaza Stage in Commonwealth Plaza
8:00 p.m. Sinatra: A Centennial Celebration, Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center
What
In celebration of Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday, The Philly POPS presents its 2015-2016 season-opening concert, Sinatra: A Centennial Celebration, October 9 at 8:00 p.m.
Excitement over this concert series has resulted in three virtually sold-out performances (Friday night, Saturday matinee and Sunday matinee) and the addition of a fourth performance on Sunday evening – for the first time in at least a decade.
Prior to each concert, Maestro Michael Krajewski and guest artist Michael Andrew will host a pre-concert conversation and CAPA’s Concert Choir, part of the POPS in Schools initiative, will perform Sinatra songs in Commonwealth Plaza.
The Sinatra concert features classics from Sinatra’s entire career – with acclaimed singer Michael Andrew and the 65-piece POPS orchestra. One highlight will be an impressive 10-minute medley of 21 songs.
As part of the Rat Pack experience, the legendary Dean Martin’s daughter, Deana, will perform in the Perelman Theatre on Saturday, October 10. After her concert, the Prime Rib will be transformed into Atlantic City’s famous 500 Club (where the Rat Pack were regulars) for an exclusive supper club party.
Who
Michael Andrew, singer, composer, entertainer and actor, has been performing songs from the Great American Songbook since he was a young boy. Andrew entertained audiences nightly and hosted a live radio broadcast as the headline singer and bandleader at the world-famous Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center in New York City. He was also the bandleader and singer at Merv Griffin’s Coconut Club in California’s Beverly Hilton. Griffin called him “One of the great singers of all time.” Singing in the style and tradition of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and Sammy Davis Jr., he has performed at Presidential Inaugural Balls, alongside symphony orchestras, and at festivals and concerts coast to coast.
The Philly POPS, the largest standalone pops orchestra in the United States, delights audiences with the inspired performance of American popular music. The POPS celebrates this distinctive musical heritage through an expanding repertoire of innovative concert presentations and a robust set of educational and engagement initiatives. Now in its 37th season, the official POPS orchestra of Pennsylvania serves a consistently growing audience of over 75,000 annually. Music Director Michael Krajewski and the 65-person Philly POPS orchestra keeps listeners tapping their toes to an impressive repertoire of songs from the 1920s up through 2015. One day, The Philly POPS is performing Frank Sinatra. The next, Rock ‘n’ Roll. Then, Broadway, ABBA, Billy Joel and on into contemporary chart toppers. The Philly POPS performs as a founding resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and at venues throughout the mid-Atlantic region.