With the fall arts season currently underway and the usual Florida humidity somewhat lessened by occasional (and fleeting) cold fronts, Bay area folks can once again look forward to seeing The Florida Orchestra perform its free Pops in the Park concerts.
Associate Conductor Susan Haig leads the 80-piece orchestra through five separate concerts to kick off the series, and the program for each features John Williams' The Cowboy Overture, the fourth movement of Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, selections from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars and Meredith Wilson's The Music Man, the overture to Mozart's La Clamenzo di Tito, Von Suppe's Light Cavalry Overture, selections from Lehar's Merry Widow, the overture to West Side Story, and many others. The four evening concerts conclude with Tchaikovsky's beloved 1812 Overture and the concerts at Curtis Hixon Park and Vinoy Park culminate in brilliant fireworks displays. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnic baskets, blankets, low-back folding chairs and coolers (no alcoholic beverages, please).
Free Pops in the Park Concerts, 7 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 12, Coachman Park, Clearwater; 7 p.m. Fri., Oct. 13, Curtis Hixon Park, downtown Tampa; 7 p.m. Sat., Oct. 14, Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg; noon Tue., Oct. 17, Lykes Gaslight Park, downtown Tampa; and 7 p.m. Sun., Oct. 22, Sulphur Springs Park, Tampa. For more information, call 813-286-2403 or visit www.floridaorchestra.org.
