All-Star Program Will Extend 'POPS In Schools' Program Offerings, Providing New Opportunities For Mentorships And Masterclasses For High School Students As Well As UArts Community And Educational Outreach Programs

Audition and Application Information

The Philly POPS and the University of the Arts announced a joint partnership to create The Philly POPS/UARTS High School All-Star Big Band. This band will be comprised of students selected for their demonstrated excellence in jazz performance. Applications will be accepted and students will be invited to audition. The HS All-Star Big Band will consider students in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia suburbs, New Jersey, and the Baltimore and Washington DC areas for membership.

This program further extends the POPS in Schools program, which currently provides supplemental music instruction to 2500 students in the School District of Philadelphia. Additionally, it expands the University’s outreach and educational mission — providing unique opportunities in jazz and contemporary music education and performance. Among other performances, the HS All-Star Big Band will participate in Philadelphia’s annual All-City Jazz Festival and will play alongside The Philly POPS BIG Band — a group of renowned professional musicians. Matt Gallagher, an associate professor at the University of the Arts, will serve as music director. Students in the ensemble will work with UArts teaching artists and will attend masterclasses to further grow their skills. The HS All-Star Big Band will consist of five saxophones, five trumpets, five trombones, a guitar, a piano, a bass, drums and percussion. Student performers of other instruments are invited to apply.

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About The Philly POPS BIG Band

The POPS BIG Band is composed of 18 musicians – saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drums, piano, guitar and bass. The BIG Band plays swing and jazz and has expanded its repertoire into all kinds of popular music from Latin to blues and rock. The Philly POPS BIG Band members were chosen for their passion for popular music. Each is also a teaching artist, adept at instructing the next generation of musicians.

The new Philly POPS BIG Band debuted on July 4, 2017 with two performances during the city of Philadelphia’s Wawa Welcome America 2017 festival. In the morning, the ensemble played at the Celebration of Freedom ceremony and parade on Independence Mall. In the evening, the BIG Band opened the city’s Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert and Fireworks show on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. NBC10 and Telemundo62 televised both performances.

The Philly POPS BIG Band is led by Matt Gallagher, principal trumpet for the POPS. He is an associate professor at University of the Arts and is one of the most sought-after trumpet players on the East Coast. He has performed with Broadway show production and such world-class organizations as the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He’s appeared with Aretha Franklin and Diana Krall, among many others and recorded with Céline Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson and LL Cool J.

About The Philly POPS

The Philly POPS, the largest standalone pops orchestra in the United States, delights audiences with the inspired performance of American popular music. The POPS celebrates this distinctive musical heritage through an expanding repertoire of innovative concert performances and a robust set of educational and engagement initiatives.

Now celebrating its 40th Anniversary Season, the POPS, the official POPS orchestra of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia’s partner in civic celebration, serves a consistently growing audience of over 200,000 annually. Music Director Michael Krajewski and the 65-piece Philly POPS orchestra keep listeners tapping their toes to an impressive repertoire of songs from American traditional music up through to today’s chart-toppers. Outside the concert hall, free Salute Series performances – including Memorial Salute, July 3 POPS on Independence, July 4 POPS on the Parkway and the I’ll Be Home for Christmas: A Salute to the Military and First Responders concert – celebrate the American tradition of service around important national holidays. POPS in Schools enhances music education for Philadelphia School District students; POPS Outside brings POPS music to local communities. The Philly POPS performs as a founding resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and at venues throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

About POPS IN SCHOOLS

Launched in 2015, POPS in Schools is an EITC-certified program that supplements music education for approximately 2,500 students in the Philadelphia School District by embedding POPS teaching artists in eleven high schools and four elementary schools to train, coach and mentor music students.

For each school, POPS in Schools provides customized curricula, music training and education, performance opportunities, and access to experience professional concerts throughout Philadelphia. Through POPS in Schools, The Philly POPS is the presenting sponsor of the annual All-City Jazz Festival. Through the All-Star HS Jazz Band, POPS in Schools programs will be available to students outside of the Philadelphia School District.

Audition and Application Information