Mission:
The mission of the Pasadena Symphony and POPS is to provide orchestral performances of the highest quality and to benefit the community through its music, community engagement, and education programs.
History:
The Pasadena Symphony Association was founded in 1928 by Conductor Reginald Bland. Originally named the Pasadena Civic Orchestra, its first members were mostly volunteer musicians, many of whom were students of Bland.
The annual operating budget was a mere $3,500, which was funded entirely by the City of Pasadena. Because of the tremendous support it continually received from the local community, the Pasadena Symphony grew into a nationally recognized, fully professional orchestra.
The Pasadena Symphony Association officially fused The Pasadena Symphony and POPS in 2007.
Over the past 80 years, the Pasadena Symphony has artistically matured into one of the top performing symphonic ensembles in southern California, comprised of the most gifted and sought after musicians from the motion picture film industry.
With extensive credits in the film, television, recording and orchestral industry, the musicians of Pasadena Symphony and POPS are the most heard in the world.
The Pasadena Symphony and POPS performs in two of the most extraordinary venues in the United States: Ambassador Auditorium, known as the Carnegie Hall of the West, and the luxuriant Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden.
Internationally recognized, Grammy-nominated conductor, David Lockington, serves as the Pasadena Symphony Association’s Music Director, with performance-practice specialist Nicholas McGegan serving as Principal Guest Conductor.
The multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated entertainer dubbed “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook,” Michael Feinstein, is the Principal Pops Conductor, who succeeded Marvin Hamlisch in the newly created Marvin Hamlisch Chair.
A hallmark of its robust education programs, the Pasadena Symphony Association has served the youth of the region for over five decades through the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras of over 250 gifted students in grades 4-12 from more than 50 schools all over Southern California. The PYSO Symphony often performs on the popular television show GLEE.
