SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2016 8 PM WILCOX PARK, WESTERLY, RI
WESTERLY, RI ??? Booming cannons, extravagant fireworks, church bells, and the sound of 180 singers and 60 orchestral musicians will fill Westerly???s beautiful Wilcox Park on Saturday, June 18, at 8 pm, as the Chorus of Westerly presents the 36th annual Summer Pops performance. The concert will be conducted by Chorus of Westerly music director, Andrew Howell and features, The Chorus of Westerly, the Pops Festival Orchestra and special guests Mariachi Flor de Toloache of New York City.
A fun-filled program suitable for the entire family, Summer Pops will feature a wide range of traditional and recent ???pops??? music including patriotic favorites, music from stage and screen, and special guests Mariachi Flor de Toloache. The event will close with P. I. Tchaikovsky???s famous 1812 Overture complete with fireworks by Grucci, cannons of the Newport Artillery, and the bells of Christ Church.
Summer Pops is a free event and no tickets are required. Summer Pops takes place in Westerly???s Wilcox Park with the main show at 8 pm with a pre-show at 6 pm. This year???s pre-show features local area artists, The Westerly High School Band conducted by Sarah Ferry, Vocalist Laura Dowding and Band, and The Westerly Morris Men. In the event of inclement weather, rain dates are scheduled for Sunday, June 19 and Monday, June 20.
Summer Pops is presented free to the town thanks to the major sponsorship of The Washington Trust Company and several hundred area businesses and individuals. The Westerly Public Library graciously offers use of Wilcox Park for Summer Pops to the Chorus of Westerly. For more information on the performance, including day of event weather updates, please visit www.chorusofwesterly.org or call 401.596.8663.
Those wishing to put down blankets in Wilcox Park early to reserve a spot may do so only after 5 pm on Friday, June 17, 2016. Blankets and items put down before this time will be removed. Unattended coolers and/or any other items besides blankets will also be removed if left in the park prior to the event with no prior warning. Please note that parking in downtown Westerly will be limited to designated areas and traffic patterns will be modified before, during, and after the event.
About the concert
A staple in the southern New England arts landscape, Summer Pops 2016 will be the event???s 36th edition. However, in the beginning, three decades of Pops was not anticipated. In planning for the first concert in 1981, Summer Pops organizers intended the performance to be a one-time only event offered as thanks to the community for their support of the Chorus???s 1981 Concert Tour of Great Britain. But when the 1981 concert, held on the post office steps in downtown Westerly???s Dixon Square, proved to be incredibly popular and successful, the Chorus decided to repeat the event the following year. By 1983, audiences for the event had outgrown Dixon Square and the performance was moved permanently to Westerly???s Wilcox Park. Today, the tradition continues as more than 25,000 area residents attend the event each year, cultivating a strong pride in this geographic region.
About Mariachi Flor de Toloache
Latin Grammy Nominee Mariachi Flor de Toloache is the first and only established all female mariachi band founded in New York in 2008. The members hail from diverse cultural background such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Australia, Colombia, Germany, Italy and the United States. While working to preserve centuries old traditions of Mariachi, their m??lange of the traditional and the modern pushes the boundaries of the genre and brings Mariachi music to new audiences. The group has performed to sold-out audiences across the world, and their critically acclaimed self-title debut album received a Latin Grammy nomination in 2015. Currently Mariachi Flor de Toloache is recording a new album and touring through the fall of 2016.
About the fireworks
This year???s finale display from Fireworks by Grucci will feature close-proximity fireworks launched from inside Wilcox Park, adjacent to the park???s pond. A security and safety fence will be constructed around the pond and no seating will be allowed in that area during the show. Additional signage and security will be available to direct audience members in the park with the new set up. The new fireworks display this year, designed by Grucci will be a spectacular never-before-seen treat to the Pops audience and are perfectly safe.
In the event of rain
In the event of rain, the Chorus of Westerly will post notices around the park of the new date, announce it on WBLQ (1230 AM) and WCRI (95.9 FM) radio stations, and post notice on its website at www.chorusofwesterly.org. Rain dates are Sunday, June 19 and Monday, June 20.