Program features iconic hits from music’s royalty including "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "Circle of Life," “Your Song,” "Phantom of the Opera," "Yesterday," "Memory," "Hey Jude," and more
Tickets on sale now at dso.org
Detroit, (October 17, 2024) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) continues its 2024–25 PNC Pops Series with a royal program featuring hits from Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John, and Sir Paul McCartney at Orchestra Hall on October 25–27. The concerts will be conducted by Na’Zir McFadden and feature vocalists Scott Coulter, Blaine Krauss, and Campbell Walker Fields, and pianist John Boswell.
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John, and Sir Paul McCartney were knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for their undeniable service to music and the arts. Their diverse international contributions have shaped the modern sound of Broadway, rock, and pop. Hear a program fit for the Queen featuring "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "Circle of Life," “Your Song,” "Phantom of the Opera," "Yesterday," "Memory," "Hey Jude," and more.
Tickets for these performances start at $20 and can be purchased at dso.org or by calling the Box Office at 313.576.5111, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The title sponsor of the DSO’s PNC Pops Series is PNC Bank.
Please note: While this program contains music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John, and Sir Paul McCartney, they won't be at Orchestra Hall for these concerts.
PNC Pops Series
Friday, October 25 at 10:45 a.m.
Saturday, October 26 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, October 27 at 3 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Na'Zir McFadden, conductor
Scott Coulter, vocals
Blaine Krauss, vocals
Campbell Walker Fields, vocals
John Boswell, piano
They are music’s royalty—Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Elton John, and Sir Paul McCartney. Experience the crown jewels of Broadway and pop at Orchestra Hall, featuring "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "Circle of Life," “Your Song,” "Phantom of the Opera," "Yesterday," "Memory," "Hey Jude," and more.
About Na’Zir McFadden
American conductor Na’Zir McFadden is the Assistant Conductor and Phillip & Lauren Fisher Community Ambassador of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
McFadden also serves as Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra. Together they’ll present three programs—exploring the masterworks of Sibelius, Schubert, Beethoven, Takashi Yoshimatsu and Einojuhani Rautavaara.
Establishing his presence on the classical music scene, the 2024–25 season includes debuts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, and The No Name Pops (formerly the Philly Pops) at Marian Anderson Hall in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. He’ll also return to the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Ballet, in addition to several engagements with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
This past summer McFadden was invited by the Boston Symphony Orchestra as one of two 2024 Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellows. As a fellow, he conducted the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in numerous performances, and participated in masterclasses led by Andris Nelsons, Alan Gilbert, Thomas Wilkins, and Dima Slobodeniouk.
In the 2022–23 season, he made his subscription debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, alongside bass-baritone Devóne Tines and clarinetist Anthony McGill. In March of 2024, he conducted the DSO’s Classical Roots program, premiering two new works by composers Billy Childs and Shelly Washington.
Other career highlights have included debuts with the North Carolina Symphony, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Ballet. Additionally, McFadden led a recording project with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago—featuring Hilary Hahn as co-collaborator and soloist.
In 2020, McFadden was named the inaugural Apprentice Conductor of the Philadelphia Ballet; a position he held until 2022. He also served as the Robert L. Poster Conducting Apprentice of the New York Youth Symphony from 2020 to 2021.
At the age of 16, Na’Zir conducted his hometown orchestra—The Philadelphia Orchestra—in their “Pop-Up” series, meeting their Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin who has been a mentor ever since. The Philadelphia Inquirer praised his “great stick [baton] technique and energetic presence on the podium” in their concert review.
About the DSO
The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a performance schedule that features the PVS Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in metro area venues, as well as eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.
Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn. With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.