Grand Rapids Symphony

GR Symphony Announces 2008 Chase Picnic Pops

2008-03-16

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES 2008 CHASE PICNIC POPS CONCERTS FEATURING:

“CLASSICAL FIREWORKS,” JULY 10-11
MARIACHI COBRE, JULY 17-18
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND, JULY 24-25
ABBA-THE HITS, JULY 31, AUGUST 1

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 16, 2008 –Today the Grand Rapids Symphony announced its 2008 Chase Picnic Pops summer concert series featuring “Classical Fireworks,” Mariachi Cobre, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and “ABBA-The Hits.”

Now in its 14th Season as West Michigan’s premier outdoor summer concert series, the Chase Picnic Pops at Cannonsburg Ski Area combines some of the best that life has to offer: family and friends, picnicking, great music and nature’s beauty. Free parking, pre-concert entertainment, a children’s activity area and helpful Symphony volunteers all provide the perfect summertime concert experience.

The Symphony’s Chase Picnic Pops features four concerts presented on Thursdays and Fridays for four consecutive weeks beginning July 10, 2008. Chase is the title sponsor of the Picnic Pops Series, providing support for one of West Michigan’s most popular outdoor summer events.

2008 Chase Picnic Pops Season

“Classical Fireworks,” featuring classical favorites performed by the Grammy-nominated Grand Rapids Symphony will kick off the Chase Picnic Pops, July 10 and 11. Concertgoers will hear much-loved classical works by composers such as Copland, Sousa, Dvorak and others while seated on the grassy slopes of Cannonsburg Ski Area. This program is a perennial favorite among Chase Picnic Pops audiences. The final piece of the evening, Tchaikovsky’s rousing “1812 Overture,” will be immediately followed by a spectacular fireworks display.

Chase Picnic Pops audience members will enjoy Mariachi Cobre, with its pulsating rhythms and vibrant harmonies, July 17 and 18. A crowd favorite at Disney’s EPCOT Center, the group features a dozen amazing musicians singing and performing on violins, guitars and trumpets. They have a way of lifting the soul and conveying the richness and emotion of mariachi music. Listeners will be mesmerized and energized during Mariachi Cobre’s second appearance with the Grand Rapids Symphony. The band made its debut with the orchestra in 2005 during its Fox Motors Pops Series in DeVos Performance Hall.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band will have listeners’ feet tapping and hands clapping with the joyful sound of Dixieland jazz, July 24 and 25. The group is named after the venerable music venue, Preservation Hall, located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. Preservation Hall Jazz Band has appeared in the country’s most prestigious venues including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Concertgoers will hear tunes such as “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans,” “Bourbon Street Parade” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.” Organized in 1963, many of the Preservation Hall Jazz members performed with the pioneers who invented jazz, including Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong.

It’s the ultimate tribute to one of the greatest pop groups of all time. “ABBA-The Hits” comes to the Cannonsburg stage July 31 and August 1. This four-member band with performers from Sweden, sounds and looks like the group ABBA and has been seen and praised by thousands. Audience members will take a musical trip from 1969 to 1981 with ABBA’s smash hits, including: “Waterloo,” “SOS,” ‘“Mama Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Knowing Me Knowing You,” “Fernando,” and many more.

Ticket Options and Prices
Three-concert Subscription Subscriptions for the first three (“Classical Fireworks,” Mariachi Cobre and Preservation Hall Jazz Band) concerts are available beginning March 17, 2008, and start at $12 for children ages 2-15; $27 for students (16 +) and seniors (62+); and $33 for adults. Children, two years of age and under are allowed in for free on the lawn. Subscriptions for general admission chair seating, in a reserved area, are $69; $117 for reserved individual seats at VIP tables; and $936 for a reserved VIP table for eight. Subscriptions can save customers up to 25% percent over buying tickets individually.

FlexPass 6-Pack A FlexPass 6-Pack at $75 for adults, and $63 for seniors, is a package of six lawn tickets, which can be used in any combination, for any combination of the following concerts: “Classical Fireworks,” Mariachi Cobre and “Preservation Hall Jazz Band.” A FlexPass can save customers 10 percent over buying tickets individually.
Individual Concert Tickets Individual tickets for all concerts are available beginning March 17, 2008. Individual lawn tickets for “Classical Fireworks,” Mariachi Cobre and Preservation Hall Jazz Band are $5 for children 2-15, $12 for students (16 +) and seniors (62 +), and $14 for adults. Children, two years of age and under are allowed in free on the lawn. Other prices are: $25 for general admission chairs in the reserved area. $41 for reserved individual seats at tables; and $328 for a reserved table for eight. Tickets for the Special Event with
“ABBA-The Hits” for lawn seating are $8 for children 2-15, $20 for students (16+) and seniors (62+), and $22 for adults. Other prices are: $32 for general admission chairs in the reserved area; $49 for reserved individual seats at VIP tables; and $392 for a VIP reserved table for eight.

How to Buy Tickets
Three-concert subscriptions, FlexPasses, individual tickets for tables and chair seating can only be purchased through the Symphony office at 616/454-9451, Ext. 4, or in person at the office, 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100. Individual lawn tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 616/456-3333, or at ticketmaster.com.
These concerts are supported by the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.