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The Pops on the Heights Scholarship Gala marks its 20th anniversary milestone on Sept. 28 and once again brings “America’s orchestra,” the famous Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, led by conductor Keith Lockhart, to Conte Forum.
A special guest also will take the stage for the event, considered the unofficial kickoff to Parents' Weekend: popular, multi-talented artist Harry Connick Jr., a singer, big-band leader and conductor, pianist, actor and composer who has delighted audiences and won numerous awards and recognitions during his career. His achievements include multi-platinum and gold albums, Grammy and Emmy awards, and a starring role in a Tony-winning Broadway musical.
Proceeds from the Pops concert benefit the Pops Scholars, a long-standing student-aid initiative that has raised more than $19 million in financial aid assistance for deserving BC students since its start in 1993.
Organizers look forward to a record-breaking anniversary year gala, which will include a special dedication to its founder, long-time University Trustee James F. Cleary ’50, Hon. ’93, who died last February.
Doors open at Conte Forum at 6 p.m., with pre-concert festivities including performances by such student musical groups as the Acoustics, the Bostonians, the Dynamics, the Heightsmen and the Sharps, as well as the BC Marching Band, which will play outside the venue. The University Chorale will perform with the Pops during the concert, which begins at 8 p.m.
At press time, tickets were still available, though organizers once again expect a sold-out event. See www.bc.edu/pops for details or call 1-800-767-5591.
Some 1,600 families are expected to take part in Parents’ Weekend, a range of events and activities organized to give parents a deeper sense of their children’s BC experiences.
Activities include a welcome by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, who will share his reflections on the University’s mission and plans for BC’s Sesquicentennial Celebration; open houses with the deans of each school, as well as open houses hosted in offices across campus; perspectives by faculty and administrators on student life inside and outside the classroom; class attendance with students; a tailgate barbecue before the Eagles kick off against Clemson University, and a family liturgy in Conte Forum. For more details, see the Parents’ Weekend website.