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Dubbed “the ultimate weekend for BC families,” Parents’ Weekend hits the Heights Sept. 25-27, with a spirited influx of BC dads, moms, siblings and other relatives.
Parents’ Weekend provides an opportunity to connect with fellow BC parents, visit classes with their students, attend open houses hosted by deans and other administrative leaders, and hear from University President William P. Leahy, SJ, who will give a talk on Friday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. in Robsham Theater.
A highlight of the weekend is the much-anticipated performance by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Keith Lockhart, at the Pops on the Heights Barbara and Jim Cleary Scholarship Gala – now in its 23rd year – which takes place later that Friday in Conte Forum.
Special guest artists are musicians and legendary back-up singers Darlene Love, Lisa Fischer and Judith Hill, immense talents who have performed with icons throughout the music scene. The trio – whose members have powered the hits of such artists as Marvin Gaye, the Rolling Stones, Prince, Michael Jackson, and more – are among the stars of the Oscar-winning 2013 documentary “Twenty Feet From Stardom,” in which they discuss their journeys as they became part of musical history.
Proceeds from Pops on the Heights benefit the Pops Scholarship Fund; the event has provided more than 1,200 scholarships for BC students over the past 22 years. Serving as gala co-chairs are University trustees Chuck Clough ’64 and Phil Schiller ’82.
Following performances by BC student groups in and around Conte Forum, which begin at 6 p.m., the Pops will take the stage at 8 p.m. The concert also will feature the University Chorale. A sell-out crowd is once again anticipated; at press time, tickets were still available; for information, see www.bc.edu/pops.
The three guest stars are the talented voices behind some of the greatest rock, pop and R&B hits of all time: Love, part of Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound” hit factory in the 1960s, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and just released “Introducing Darlene Love”; Fischer, who has appeared on albums by Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin, toured with the Rolling Stones and won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Performance; Hill, whose debut record “Back In Time” will be released this year, has provided backing vocals for artists such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Elton John.
Parents’ Weekend activities include a Friday afternoon talk on study-abroad experiences by Nick J. Gozik, director of the Office of International Programs and McGillycuddy-Logue Center for Undergraduate Global Studies, followed by a presentation on “The Value of a BC Degree” by Vice President for Planning and Assessment Kelli Armstrong and Kerry Cronin, Lonergan Institute associate director and fellow at the Center for Student Formation.
Saturday will feature the BC-Northern Illinois football game at Alumni Stadium at 1 p.m., and Parents’ Weekend will conclude Sunday with a 10 a.m. family liturgy in Conte Forum open to all faiths, with an expected attendance of some 3,000 students, parents, and other members of the Boston College community. The liturgy will be followed by a continental breakfast.
Details on the Parents’ Weekend schedule are available at: www.bc.edu/parents.