New assistant conductor Chelsea Gallo will make her debut at The Florida Orchestra’s (TFO) free Pops in the Park concert at Vinoy Park. This year, TFO’s largest concert of the year will bring family-friendly music to St. Petersburg’s waterfront in September to celebrate the opening of the 55th season with the community.
The concert will be on Saturday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m. and feature film scores, Broadway hits and light classical favorites, conducted by Gallo. The nearly 30-year tradition annually packs the park with about 15,000 patrons, who spread out elaborate picnics with candelabras for free music under the stars.
TFO will give an encore performance on Sunday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. at River Tower Park in Tampa. The spring Pops in the Park concert will be on Mother’s Day, May 14, at 7:45 p.m. at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in Tampa. All park concerts will have food trucks from Gulf to Bay Food Truck Association. In a long-standing tradition, TFO will collect nonperishable goods for Tampa Bay Harvest’s annual food drive at all park concerts.
This fall is Gallo’s first season with the orchestra. She will lead TFO’s youth and community concerts, conduct select Raymond James Pops and Morning Coffee concerts and regularly assist music director Michael Francis and other conductors.
The nonprofit Florida Orchestra exists to inspire, unite and educate as it builds community. TFO’s free and low-cost community concerts break down barriers to ensure everyone has access to the power of live music.
The orchestra announced more community concerts, including the return of Sing Out Tampa Bay. Maestro Francis’ signature Inside the Music series helps unlock the secrets to composers and their masterpieces so audiences can form a deeper connection with the music. Admission to all is pay what you can.
TFO will perform over 100 concerts this season in venues throughout Tampa Bay. Francis launches the season with TFO’s 55th Celebration benefit concert featuring Itzhak Perlman on Saturday, October 1 at the Mahaffey Theater. From Friday to Sunday, October 7-9, the Hough Family Foundation Masterworks series debuts with Carl Orff’s epic Carmina Burana, kicking off the classical series that includes Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and much more. The Raymond James Pops series has blockbusters such as Harry Potter vs Star Wars, Holiday Pops and the Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album.
For more information and tickets, visit https://floridaorchestra.org/.
