Mount Saint Charles Pops Concert Coming Saturday

The 2012 Pops Concert will be an outside extravaganza and a perfect event for the whole family to attend.

The concert will be held on Saturday, May 19 on Mount’s lower field. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. and the concert begins at 6:30 p.m.  There will be 150 Mount musicians in attendance, the Rhode Island National Guard and the Artillery Company of Newport.

“This year’s event will be Mount’s biggest concert spectacle in the school’s history,” said Marc Blanchette, Mount’s music director.

Mount’s junior band, senior band, wind ensemble, and two jazz bands are all scheduled to perform that evening. The date of the concert, May 19, is also Armed Forces Day. To celebrate this occasion, the pops concert will host the Rhode Island National Guard’s Color Guard. They will pay tribute and honor all of the different military branches through a very special presentation. The evening will end with a performance of the 1812 overture accompanied by a grand fireworks display and cannons by the Artillery Company of Newport.

 The Pops concert is an annual event which began in the 1970’s as an outdoor concert.  Early on, the event was moved indoors where it has been held annually for many years.  Three years ago, the outdoor pops, or “Pops on the Green,” was revived with great success.  This year’s performance is the second of what will become semi-annual outdoor pops concerts at the academy.

 Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, coolers (alcohol is NOT permitted), and their picnic baskets. There will be a variety of activities and food booths for everyone to enjoy.

The rain date for this event is Sunday May 20. Tickets are $8 per person and are available in Mount’s main office or music department.  You can call the school at 401-769-0310 for tickets.