2020-2021 Annual Report

Holiday Pops is a beloved experience in Greater Boston, so when the pandemic closed Symphony Hall to visitors, the Pops was determined to keep the music playing. Under the direction of Julian and Eunice Cohen Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart, the Pops produced Boston Pops 2020 Holiday Celebration, a video program that combined longstanding seasonal classics with new content (recorded at Fenway Park, like the video above) and inspirational readings of holiday favorites. More than 150 members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and 55 singers of the Boston Symphony Children's Choir joined in, recording their parts individually from home. The festive and fun show garnered more than 12,300 views on BSO NOW. Following on the Pops’ sensory-friendly concert series, the video was also produced in a special version designed for families with children or adults diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or sensory sensitivities. And, replacing annual holiday visits to Boston Children’s Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Center, the Pops produced a 30-minute version of the program that was distributed to hospitals for broadcast on their closed-circuit TV networks.