The new season of Pops concerts will rock you
LONG BEACH SYMPHONY
Under the direction of Maestro Eckart Preu, the Long Beach Symphony returns to the stage on Saturday, Oct. 23. Pops concerts begin this weekend, with Classical concerts launching Nov. 13.
“The Music of Queen” opens the Pops season Saturday, with Brody Dolynuik and his rock band joining the symphony, conducted by Martin Herman, to pay tribute to the group fronted by the late Freddie Mercury.
Also on the Pops calendar are the Long Beach Camerata Singers on Dec. 18 performing holidayinspired favorites; “The Musical Legacy of Chicago,” featuring tribute band Brass Transit, on Feb. 12, 2022; Dave Letterman’s longtime sidekick and musical director, Paul Shaffer shares symphonic renditions of his favorite pop, R& B and jazz tunes together with the help of Motown legend Valerie Simpson on March 26; and a celebration of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, with Broadway powerhouse Capathia Jenkins and Grammy Award nominee Ryan Shaw on May 21.
The opening night for the Classical Series on Nov. 13 opens with John Stafford Smith’s “Star Spangled Banner.” The rest of the evening includes Aaron Copland’s stirring “Fanfare for the Common Man”; highly acclaimed British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade for Orchestra; and what Beethoven described as “his most excellent symphony,” Symphony No. 7.
On Jan. 8, 2022, the Long Beach Symphony presents “Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust,” rescheduled from 2020. The emotional program includes Mozart Requiem in D minor with the Long Beach Camerata Singers; John Williams’ take on “Hatikvah” from the film “Munich”; principal cello player Cécilia Tsan in Bruch’s Kol Nidrei; and guest violinist Niv Ashkenazi playing the theme from “Schindler’s List,” also by Williams.
The Israeli Silver-Garburg Piano Duo continue the season with a Feb. 5 concert featuring two concertos for two pianos by Bach and Poulenc, plus Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s Overture in C and her brother Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian.”
The March 12 concert offers fairy tales and folklore from Norway and Russia, and Spanish guitarist Pepe Romero brings an evening of rhythm and musical drama on April 30. The season concludes June 4 with awardwinning Michael Abel’s “Global Warming,” followed by Israeli-American cellist Inbal Segev’s performance of Anna Clyne’s Cello Concerto “Dance,” which was written for Segev and inspired by the 13th-century Persian writer and mystic Rumi.
For more information about the concerts, as well as tickets and COVID protocols, visit www. LongBeachSymphony.org or call (562) 436-3203.
