2008 Boston Pops

There are first-rate symphony orchestras all over the United States, and many step away from their serious work at times to offer lighter fare and thus attract new fans to their venues. No city, though, has an orchestra as treasured as the Boston Pops Orchestra. A surprising fact is that the Boston Pops came together as a way to keep the Boston Symphony Orchestra from starving in the summer, thanks to one man's vision.

A banker with music training named Henry Lee Higginson got the Boston Symphony Orchestra rolling in 1881 with a $1 million endowment, an incredible sum for the time. Immediately he announced that, as soon as possible, he would establish a summer concert series to evoke the essence of European summer concerts and keep the orchestra members from having to pound the pavement in search of summer income.

True to Higginson's word, the Promenade Concert debuted on July 11, 1885 under the direction of Adolf Neuendorff. Neuendorff established the format of a light piece, a heavier middle composition after an intermission, then a second intermission and a light finale. This approach was a very German way of presenting summer music to the more casual listener, and the idea was so engaging to the public of Boston that the Promenade Orchestra began to Americanize its program to stimulate further the sales of tickets. The biggest American composer included was John Philip Sousa, whose patriotic march 'The Stars and Stripes Forever!' was such a big hit that it became the traditional concert finale in 1899, two years after its composition.

In 1900, the series nickname, the 'Pops,' became its official name, and thus it was the Boston Pops Orchestra that performed from then on. Symphony Hall opened that year, and the Pops series was already so entrenched that the Hall's concert seating was removable so tables and chairs could be set up for the Pops.

From 1885 to 1929, the Boston Pops Orchestra employed 17 European-born conductors, including the Italian Alfred Casella, who tried to include deeper music. The fans revolted, and Casella was booted in favor of Boston-born Arthur Fiedler, who took over in 1930.

Under Fiedler, Boston Pops Orchestra tickets became a national craving. From his debut, which included Ravel's year-old Bolero, Fiedler showed his daring style, and the fans went wild for him. His flamboyant personality and conducting style were just what the Boston Pops needed to go national.

After his fiftieth year at the helm, which included the addition of radio broadcasts and, in 1969, the debut of 'Evening at Pops' on PBS television, Arthur Fiedler died as the 1979 season was beginning. His replacement was John Williams, the best-known conductor in the world, thanks to such film scores as Star Wars. Williams led the Pops until 1993.

For 1995, the search for a new conductor was over, and Williams's replacement was Keith Lockhart. With a return to the Fiedler style of music selection and a new interest in Celtic and Latin compositions (which earned the Pops its first Grammy nominations), Lockhart has made the Boston Pops Orchestra stronger than ever, and its tickets remain one of the most sought-after prizes for a night of music in Boston.