Lunch with Rachael

Yesterday I got together with Rachael Worby, conductor of the Pasadena POPS. We've known each other for years but rarely have much time to share each other's company, just us.

So we enjoyed salads at Ventanas and talked about everything under the sun, including the wonderful Music Under the Stars concert that is the orchestra's annual gift to the community.


It's free on Saturday, May 22, at 7 p.m. when Centennial Square in front of Pasadena City Hall will be transformed into an outdoor concert space where you’ll gather with family and friends for an evening of fun and entertainment. Bring a lawn chair and come as early as 5:30 p.m. when you can bring a picnic or purchase items from gourmet food trucks and let little ones enjoy activities provided by staff from Kidspace Children’s Museum.

What the Pasadena POPS technical team has done with lighting over the years has been spectacular. This photo was shot during the Music Under the Stars event when we welcomed the community back to Pasadena City Hall after the three-year seismic retrofit and historic restoration:


Every year, Music Under the Stars is the prelude to the Pasadena POPS summer concert series.

After several years performing their summer concerts at Descanso Gardens, the orchestra is returning home to Pasadena! For each event in the summer concert series, the lawn adjacent to the Rose Bowl Stadium will become an outdoor concert hall with a fantastic stage that will be set up and then taken down each time so recreational activities can continue at the site (also known as Area H by you parents who have soccer-playing kids).

Here's a representation of the site when concerts are performed:


I'm buying a table for the four-concert series. From "Fireworks POPS Spectacular" to "Hooray for Hollywood," I plan on enjoying all four evenings surrounded by friends, great food and terrific music.

I told Rachael this yesterday and it was music to her ears.