A Star-Filled Evening at Pops Summer Begins Sunday, July 3, 2005 on PBS

A Star-Filled Evening at Pops Summer Begins Sunday, July 3, 2005 on PBS

Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra Return for Another Season of Musical Gems

BOSTON, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanessa Williams, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael McDonald, and Julie Andrews are among the stars joining conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra for another stellar summer of EVENING AT POPS. The 2005 season, featuring encore presentations of recent popular EVENING AT POPS programs, kicks off on Sunday, July 3 at 7pm ET on PBS (check local listings).

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050624/NEF014 )

Other highlights include a celebration of Keith Lockhart's 10th anniversary as conductor, with star turns from the past decade by Nathan Lane, Sarah Jessica Parker, Audra McDonald, and others; a tribute to legendary Broadway composer Jerry Herman, and a salute to Henry Mancini ("Moon River") with Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams.

The curtain goes up on Sunday, July 3, with "Keith Lockhart's 10th Anniversary Special." The Boston Pops welcomes CNN's Paula Zahn, who invites viewers along for a night of magnificent music and fabulous friends. Paula, herself a trained cellist, will sit down with Mr. Lockhart to chat about his amazing career milestone -- a decade with America's Orchestra. It's a rare opportunity to meet the man behind the baton, while also unlocking choice highlights from the last 10 years, including performances by Nathan Lane, Martin Short, Patti Labelle, k.d. lang, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dawn Upshaw, Penn and Teller, Audra McDonald, the cast of Forever Tango, and many more.

"From Screen to Stage: Kristin Chenoweth and Rob Marshall," airing Sunday, July 10, takes viewers from the silver screen of Hollywood to the fabled stages of the Great White Way. Broadway sensation Kristin Chenoweth, star of the smash hit musical Wicked, joins conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra to pay tribute to movie musicals that became Broadway musicals, performing songs like "Let Yourself Go" from Swingtime, and "Apartment 14G" from Thoroughly Modern Millie. She will also perform her inimitable version of "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide. Then, Mr. Lockhart welcomes his longtime friend and college classmate Rob Marshall, director of the multi-Oscar winning screen musical Chicago, for a conversation about popular films that went on to become Broadway musicals.

On Sunday, July 17, EVENING AT POPS welcomes the celebrated pop star and former Doobie brother Michael McDonald, whose recent album Motown went platinum. Mr. McDonald joins conductor Keith Lockhart and sings some of his biggest hits including "I Can't Let Go" and "What A Fool Believes," as well as classic blockbusters from the Motown catalogue like "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." Then, Cape Breton fiddling sensation Natalie MacMaster joins the Boston Pops Orchestra in a special blend of Bluegrass and Celtic music.

In a star-powered episode airing Sunday, July 24, EVENING AT POPS showcases the talents of the incomparable Grammy Award-winning Vanessa Williams, conductor Keith Lockhart's guest for a tribute to landmark black Broadway musicals and their performers. Known for her award-winning pop songs, Ms. Williams has also starred in several Broadway musicals, including Kiss of the Spider Woman and Into the Woods. The Boston Pops Orchestra accompanies Ms. Williams for a tribute to black musicals featuring "Beat Out Da Rhythm On A Drum" from Carmen Jones; "Taking a Chance on Love" from Cabin in the Sky; "Come Rain Or Come Shine" from St. Louis Woman; and more. As special encores, Ms. Williams delights the audience with her hits "Colors of the Wind" and "Save the Best for Last."

On Sunday, July 31, Boston Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams continues his tradition of honoring film music giants with a salute to unique collaborations between directors and composers. The program begins with a special tribute to Bernard Herrmann, whose scores for Alfred Hitchcock films like Psycho and Vertigo thrilled an entire generation of moviegoers, and heavily influenced future film composers, including Mr. Williams himself. Then, the legendary Julie Andrews and Academy Award-winning Blake Edwards join Mr. Williams to pay tribute to another distinguished film scorer, their longtime friend and colleague, Henry Mancini. Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate, Man of La Mancha) performs "Whistling Away The Dark" from Darling Lili, "The Days of Wine and Roses," and other enduring Mancini classics. Finally, Mancini's daughter Monica Mancini, herself an acclaimed singer, joins Mr. Mitchell to perform "Moon River." John Williams will provide the music to accompany montages from Psycho, in addition to montages of other Alfred Hitchcock/Bernard Herrmann and Henry Mancini/Blake Edwards films.

The season closes on Sunday, August 7, with an EVENING AT POPS tribute to legendary Broadway composer Jerry Herman. In honor of Herman's 70th birthday, celebrities from the Great White Way -- including Tony Award-winner Faith Prince, Marin Mazzie, and John Barrowman -- sing songs from hits such as Hello, Dolly!, La Cage aux Folles, and Mame. Tune in as Herman shares stories from his prolific career, and for an evening of show-stopping numbers from today's brightest Broadway stars.

Full episode descriptions, the 2005 performance schedule, and photography of Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, guest stars, and full-color performance shots, as well as additional press materials, are all available for download at the WGBH and PBS pressrooms: http://pressroom.wgbh.org/http://pbs.org/pressroom.

Press Contact: Photography Contact: Ellen Dockser Jen Holmes WGBH Boston WGBH Boston 617-300-5338 617-300-5388 ellen_dockser@wgbh.orgjen_holmes@wgbh.org

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050624/NEF014 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: WGBH Boston

CONTACT: Ellen Dockser, Press Contact, +1-617-300-5338, ellen_dockser@wgbh.org, or Jen Holmes, Photography Contact, +1-617-300-5388, jen_holmes@wgbh.org, both of WGBH Boston

Web site: http://www.wgbh.org/

------- Profile: Ent