By Robert D. Thomas
Music Critic
Southern California News Group
A consortium of presenters, headed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, is launching a new venture entitled “Live at the Arboretum” with Grammy-award winning artist LeAnn Rimes (pictured right) appearing July 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia.
Barger is being joined by the Pasadena Pops, Los Angeles County Department of Parks & Recreation and the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation in presenting the event. As is the case with Pops events, the Rimes concert will feature circular tables along with lawn seating. Tickets are reasonably priced — $10, $25 and $35 — and are available through the Pops box office: www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org or 626/623-9472. Patrons may bring their own food and drink or purchase items from numerous food trucks. Gates will open at 5 p.m.
Rimes is an internationally acclaimed singer and ASCAP award-winning songwriter. Globally, she has sold more than 44 million units, won two Grammy® Awards; 12 Billboard Music Awards; two World Music Awards; three Academy of Country Music Awards; one Country Music Association Award and one Dove Award. At 14, Rimes won “Best New Artist” making her the youngest recipient of a Grammy® Award.
Pasadena Symphony Association CEO Laura Unger hopes this will be the first of many such events at the Pops’ outdoor venue. “When we moved into the Arboretum several years,” she explains, “both we and the Arboretum hoped that our presence there would help attract other events, as well. When Supervisor Barger was elected and installed, she moved quickly to set the train in motion that made this happen.”
Rimes’ concert comes midway between the first two Pasadena Pops concert. On June 17, Principal Pops Conductor Michael Feinstein will open the orchestra’s summer season with a tribute to Broadway’s “Golden Age.” “Actually,” says Unger, “as Michael will make clear during the concert he is talking about multiple golden ages of Broadway, from the early 20th century up to the presence.”
Joel Grey, Storm Large and Alex Getlin will be the soloists for the evening and Liza Minnelli will take time to reminisce with Feinstein not only about her “golden age” but also that of her mother, Judy Garland.
A week after Rimes’ concert, on July 13, the Midtown Men — four stars from the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys — will present an evening of music from that musical, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, Motown and more. The Pops Resident Conductor, Larry Blank, will lead the orchestra.
Information: www.pasadenasymphony-pops.org
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(c) Copyright 2017, Robert D. Thomas. All rights reserved. Portions may be quoted with attribution.
