Pops Goes the Orchestra

By Steven J. Smith

As baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks would say, let’s play two.

Grab yourself a hot dog and some popcorn and sit back for some “Orchestra in the Outfield” on May 11 and 12 as the Sarasota Orchestra will play two Outdoor Pops concerts at Ed Smith Stadium, showcasing Broadway stars Deedee Magno Hall and her husband Cliffton Hall.

Principal Pops Conductor Andrew Lane said the concerts will feature a wide range of popular music including songs from Broadway musicals and movies, scores from Disney films, samplings from legendary composer John Williams (of “Star Wars” fame) and some good old American standards.

“The first half of each concert will feature Broadway and movie songs with our talented singers,” Lane said. “But in the second half we’ll switch over a little to the pop side as Deedee will sing ‘I Will Survive,’ made famous by Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer, among others. We want to offer as much variety as we can so the audience can see what the Sarasota Orchestra is all about.”

Lane added the lineup will feature John Williams’ “Bugler’s Dream,” “Olympic Fanfare” and his movie score from Far and Away along with “La La Land Concert Suite,” “I Dreamed a Dream” and “Bring Him Home” from Les Miz, “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease, themes from Silverado as well as patriotic songs such as “America The Beautiful” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Also, each concert will end with a spectacular fireworks display.

“We had worked with Deedee before in another program we played at the Van Wezel called The Leading Ladies of Broadway,” Lane said. “We wanted to feature her again, so that was our starting point in plotting out our musical selections for this concert. We looked for songs she wanted to sing, songs that really worked well for her and for Cliffton, then crafted them into a program that had some excellent variety.”

Both Deedee and Cliffton Hall are no strangers to the stage, he added. Cliffton appeared on Broadway in the hit Les Miz and the couple teamed together in the rock musical Next to Normal and in the touring production of Miss Saigon. Deedee also appeared as Nessarose in the national tour of Wicked and as Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular soundtrack. In addition, she currently voices the role of Pearl in the animated series Steven Universe.

“It seemed like a really good idea to pair Deedee and Cliffton up on our stage,” Lane said. “They’re going to do a couple’s concert and it’s a nice opportunity for them to perform together.”

He added the concert will feature a little something for everyone.

“If you’ve never heard the Sarasota Orchestra before, you’re going to get a really good sampler by attending this concert,” he said. “And this is our fifth season in performing the Outdoor Pops concerts. We’ve grown 100 percent over the last couple of years, offering two concerts a year instead of one, because our audience has doubled. I’ve also got to credit Ed Smith Stadium and the Baltimore Orioles, who have really helped grow this event, which we now call ‘Orchestra in the Outfield.’ Bringing the orchestra and the ballpark together has made it unique and very special.”

Lane added a complete sound system is in place at the ballpark with 45-50 microphones set to maximize the orchestra and singers. 

“We’re miked better than in a studio,” he said. “As a result, you’re hearing a very powerful sound. It’s a challenge to get that right and a lot of energy and talent goes into getting it to come off without a hitch. Our lighting is also first-rate and the stage is built specially for this event. It’s something people work a lot of hours on so we can make our two-hour concert a memorable one.”

Lane concluded there is something special about enjoying an outdoor concert as opposed to one in a concert hall.

“People love to sit outside, look at the stars and hear concerts,” he said. “It’s a great combination not only for our orchestra, but for orchestras all over the world. You’ve got great seats in the stands and everyone has a perfect view of the orchestra.”

“It’s a sublime outdoor experience.”-Andrew Lane

The concerts will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 at Ed Smith Stadium, located at 2700 12th Street in Sarasota. Tickets start at $15 each and can be obtained through the stadium box office or by calling 941.893.6300.

For more information, log on to sarasotaorchestra.org and click on “Concerts.”