Summer Pops 2013. (C) Michael Harding, Genesis Group Photography

With the arrival of June and the fast approach of summer, Queen City residents have many seasonal activities to look forward to, but perhaps one of the most beloved is the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Pops concert series. Sprawled on blankets across the lawn with picnics and cool beverages, audience members enjoy symphony classics like Gershwin, Wagner, Verdi and Puccini as the CSO performs outdoors under the stars at Symphony Park behind SouthPark Mall. Tickets are only $10 for adults, and children under 18 get in free.

Sunday, June 8th kicks off the concerts series with a program entitled “A Night on Broadway.” The CSO, accompanied by Tamra Hayden, will play some of the most memorable music of Broadway, including “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady, “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables and “All that Jazz” from Chicago. Summer Pops will continue with “Orchestra Americana” on June 15th, “Instrumental Opera” on June 22nd, “That’s Amore” on June 29thand a special Independence Day concert on July 3 “Celebrate America!” Gates to the park open at 5 p.m., with a prelude performance starting at 7 p.m. and the CSO performance starting at 8:15 p.m.

Lovers of the Summer Pops series will notice a few new elements in the 2014 season, including a partnership with Whole Foods. Audiences will be able to purchase snacks at the Park from the Whole Foods Mobile Kitchen, which will feature a rotating menu based on the concert program. Additionally, audiences can download a digital program book for each Summer Pops concert through the CSO app for both Androids and iPhones.

So pack your picnic basket, grab a bottle of wine and a blanket or low-back beach chair (tall-back chairs are strongly discouraged), and head over to Symphony Park this coming Sunday for some Broadway classics!