Boston Symphony and Boston Pops to Perform for Free in Franklin Park
Photo by Marco Borggreve
Save the date for October 1—the Boston Pops and the Boston Symphony Orchestra will perform together for free in Franklin Park, the groups announced this week.
In a press release, commissioner of parks and recreation Christopher Cook called the orchestras “central to our identity” and said they “will be right at home in this park which is, literally and figuratively, the center of our city.”
The October concert will mark the BSO’s and the Pops’ first performance together in a free, outdoor public venue. It will also be the BSO’s debut in Franklin Park. The Pops have played there twice before—first in 1968 and then in 2000. They return 17 years later to play an event that Mayor Martin Walsh has called “an incredibly special and historic occasion.
Led by conductor Keith Lockhart, the Pops will open the concert and perform selections from popular film scores by John Williams, who’s been the recipient of a season-long tribute from them. Prior shows have involved the Pops playing the scores to Jaws and E.T. alongside the movie, and this outdoor event will feature music from Harry Potter and Star Wars.
With a more traditional lineup, the BSO will perform during the second half of the concert, led by BSO youth and family concerts conductor Thomas Wilkins and BSO music director Andris Nelsons. Their selections include Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture as well as the fourth movement of Gustav Mahler’s first symphony.
The concert is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., but festivities start before then; the BSO will host a pre-concert festival with art exhibits, crafts, and activities for the whole family.
Free, Sunday, October 1, 3 p.m., Franklin Park, 1 Franklin Park Road, bso.org.
