Pasadena Symphony and POPS

The Pasadena Symphony and POPS is an American orchestra based in Pasadena, California. In 2010 it took up residence at the Ambassador Auditorium, where its Classics Series runs from October through April. Since 2012 it performs a summer series at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden from June through September.

The Pasadena Symphony was founded in 1928 as the Pasadena Civic Orchestra by Reginald Bland. From 1936 to 1972, Dr. Richard Lert served as Music Director and Conductor. The symphony was recognized with Metropolitan Status by the American Symphony Orchestra League in 1968. The organization became known as the Pasadena Symphony Association.

Extraordinary progress was achieved under the direction of Daniel Lewis, who served as Music Director and Conductor between 1972 and 1984.

In 1984, Jorge Mester became Pasadena Symphony's fourth music director.

In Fall 2007 the Pasadena Symphony incorporated the Pasadena POPS into its Association under the new name Pasadena Symphony and POPS.

In 2007 Maestra Rachael Worby continued on from the previous Pasadena POPS Orchestra, assuming principal POPS conductor position of the Pasadena Symphony Association. In August 2010 Maestro Marvin Hamlisch was appointed principal POPS conductor. After Hamlisch's death in August 2012, a search found Great American Songbook star Michael Feinstein, who assumed the post beginning with the 2013 POPS season.

In September 2010 the Pasadena Symphony became the resident professional symphony at Ambassador Auditorium.

Called by some concertgoers "The Carnegie Hall of the West", this relatively small yet beautiful concert hall hosted 20 seasons of the worlds' best musicians and performers from 1974 to 1995. It is estimated that 2.5 million attendees heard and saw over 2,500 concerts at Ambassador Auditorium by Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Claudio Arrau, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Horacio Gutierrez, Alicia de Larrocha, Arthur Rubinstein, Andrés Segovia, Yo-Yo Ma, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Junior, Frank Sinatra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan (including, on their last visit together to the U.S. in 1982, a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 9) and many others during this period. With regard to classical music, the intimate feel of the venue was especially well suited to small ensembles, and soloists such as guitarists Julian Bream and John Williams.

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