Philly Pops heads up Broad Street to the Met, announces 2019-20 season

In its 2019-20 season, the Philly Pops will expand its presence northward — to the Met Philadelphia, the renovated opera house that recently reopened on North Broad Street.

The first pops show currently announced for the Met is A Night at the Opera House: The Music of Queen, a one-night-only performance Nov. 30 featuring conductor Brent Havens and, in his tribute to Freddie Mercury, vocalist Brody Dolyniuk.

Noting “Live Nation’s restoration of this amazing historic opera house,” pops chief operating officer Karen Corbin said other shows were in the works at the Met. “We look forward to working with the Met Philadelphia on a number of projects designed to appeal to audiences eager to experience some of our more innovative programming,” she said, declining to say what the other shows were or how many were in the discussion stage.

The pops will continue its series at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall. The season there, announced Thursday, begins with a program of film scores by John Williams, Danny Elfman, Howard Shore, and others Sept. 27-29, with pops music director Todd Ellison conducting. Ellison returns Nov. 8-10 for a Beatles Abbey Road show with Beatles tribute band Classical Mystery Tour.

The annual Christmas show this year, Dec. 6-21, is led by David Charles Abell, with vocalist Mandy Gonzalez, the Melodica Men, and the usual cast of hundreds.

Ellison and singer Ashley Brown pay tribute to Marvin Hamlisch Jan. 17-19, and to Aretha Franklin with a show Feb. 14-16, 2020, with vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Ryan Shaw.

Phil Collins is the object of nostalgia March 6-8, 2020, in a show led by Stuart Chafetz with vocalist Aaron Finley and percussionist Brian Kushmaul.

Sondheim gets a 90th-birthday nod April 17-19, 2020, with conductor Abell and singers Liz Callaway, Francis Martin “Fra" Fee, and Damian Humbley.

And a tribute to Sinatra ends the season in Verizon Hall May 1-3, 2020, with Ellison conducting a show featuring vocalist Michael Andrew.