It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again, but yes, the Chorus of Westerly’s 37th Annual Summer Pops concert in Wilcox Park is just around the corner! Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 24 at 8 pm. As always, we know it’ll be a rousing success – a showcase of world class musical talent you won’t want to miss. Fingers crossed for good weather, if need be, rain dates are June 25/26 at the same time.
Here’s a video summary of last year’s Pops:
Did you have any idea the concert has been put on each summer for the last 37 years?! We didn’t either. So first, let me give you a brief history of the Chorus of Westerly – so in 1959, George Kent, a graduate student at New England Conservatory founds the Chorus. At the time, concerts were held either in Christ Church or in the auditorium of Stonington High School.
In 1968, the Chorus performs for the first time in the former Immaculate Conception Church. The building, which has great acoustics, becomes the permanent home of the Chorus and is now called the George Kent Performance Hall. Fast forward to 1981 and the first Summer Pops is organized as a Bon Voyage Concert before the Chorus goes on tour. An enormous group of 5,000 gather for the concern in Dixon Square with all traffic stopped. A few years later, the summer concert, now called the Summer Pops outgrows Dixon Square and is moved to Wilcox Park where more than 15,000 attend.
In 1990, local police estimate that attendance at the Summer Pops has surpassed 30,000.
In 2011, George Kent retires as music director for the Chorus of Westerly, passing the torch to former Chorus child and University of Rhode Island Graduate, Andrew Howell.
Now for a little history about Wilcox Park, where the Summer Pops takes place every year now: The original parcel of land was donated in 1898 by Harriet Wilcox in honor of her husband, Stephen Wilcox. Several smaller parcels of land were added over the years but the nine-acre Hannah B. W. Brown estate land acquisition in 1905, significantly increased the size of the park. Today, Wilcox Park, a Victorian strolling park, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
For the Summer Pops, people lay down picnic blankets and bring lawn chairs to relax in while enjoying the concert. In order to get a good spot in Wilcox Park for your blankets, attendees can set up their blankets the night before on Friday night or Saturday morning. Attendees are also encouraged to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy before or during the concert.
Some people turn it into a whole day affair – come to the park early to enjoy the open space with their kids, enjoy a picnic dinner and then stay for the concert, which is usually over around 10 or 10:30 p.m. with a fireworks finale.
Bring the whole family – it’s a great event. Warn the little ones that there will be cannons shot off at the end during the 1812 Overture with fireworks to follow. Have fun, it’ll be a night to remember!
