The National Symphony Orchestra has announced its 2019–2020 Pops season, which will take place at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall under the baton of principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke.
Season highlights include an October 17–19 centennial tribute to late musician and Civil Rights trailblazer Nat King Cole. Grammy winner Terri Lyne Carrington is music director and drummer, with Grammy winner Ben Williams on bass, Eric Reed on piano, and Mark Whitfield on guitar. Vocal performers will be announced at a later date.
Hamilton Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr. will make his NSO debut in December with A Holiday Pops! The December 13–14 concerts will feature holiday classics old and new from Odom Jr’s 2016 album, Simply Christmas.
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Smash star Megan Hilty and Xanadu and American Horror Story’s Cheyenne Jackson will appear together in concert February 13–15, 2020, performing songs from Broadway, film, and the great American songbook, including favorites from Smash, Wicked, Aida, and 9 to 5.
The season closes with Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town in concert, presented June 25–28. Shakespeare Theatre Company associate artistic director Alan Paul will direct. Casting will be announced at a later date.
Also planned are live concert screenings with the NSO featuring Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on November 29, 30, and December 1; and Disney and Pixar’s Up on May 1–2, 2020.
Subscriptions are now available at Kennedy-Center.org.
Hilty has been a guest performer on Playbill’s Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Cabins are now on sale for Broadway in the Great Northwest, Playbill Travel’s first domestic cruise will bring passengers on a journey through the Pacific Northwest from April 26–May 4, 2020, and for Broadway on the Mediterranean (August 31–September 7, 2020), featuring Audra McDonald, Will Swenson, Gavin Creel, Lindsay Mendez, and more to be announced. Playbill Travel is currently accepting waitlist travelers for its sold out cruises: Broadway in Bordeaux With Michael Feinstein (September 1–9, 2019), and Broadway on the High Seas: The Greek Isles (June 24–July 1, 2019). Call Playbill Travel for tickets at 866-455-6789 or visit PlaybillTravel.com.
