Forest Hills Stadium
Objective: To produce a concert series at Forest Hills Stadium, expanding the range of The New York Pops’ audience and artistic collaborators
Venue: Forest Hills Stadium
Total Concerts Produced: 6
Total Complimentary Tickets Distributed to Students and Seniors: 6,000
Total Audience Members Reached: 37,800
Notable Achievement: Facilitated Sarah McLachlan’s performance debut with The New York Pops
In 2015, The New York Pops found an official summer home at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY, and has returned there every year since.
At first, the main challenge was identifying content that would resonate with The New York Pops’ core audience, enticing them to travel beyond the orchestra’s performance base in midtown Manhattan. Early on, the organization turned to previous collaborators including Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Matthew Morrison, and Pink Martini.
The New York Pops later broadened its horizons by partnering with mainstream touring acts, including Sarah McLachlan and The Who’s Roger Daltrey, who drew expanded audiences (of 8,500 and 9,500, respectively).
Members of the 501st Legion at Forest Hills Stadium
The Forest Hills concerts also provide a new platform for The New York Pops to develop cross-generational appeal. One of the orchestra’s most successful turns at the stadium featured the music of John Williams. Since an entire section of the concert was dedicated to the scores of the Star Wars films,, I arranged for audience members of all ages to be greeted by members of the 501st Legion, who were costumed as the franchise’s most familiar characters.
Additionally, the stadium series has enabled The New York Pops to expand its commitment to arts access: to date, The New York Pops has provided 6,000 complimentary tickets to students, seniors, and their guardians/caregivers.
Photo Credit for concert images of Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, and Matthew Morrison: Richard Termine