Philly Pops: Broadway à la Nero

The Philly Pops are playing Broadway à la Nero at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, October 24, at 3 PM. The concert is a tribute to the Broadway sound through the lens of Peter Nero, the Grammy Award-winning pianist and Philly Pops Music Director Emeritus, who's spent nearly six decades as a pianist, conductor, and recording artist.

Nero's career is a long one: more than 70 albums, a 1961 Grammy for Best New Artist of the Year, and over 60 years as a Steinway artist. He's shared the stage with Herbie Hancock and Michel Legrand at Carnegie Hall, and the Philadelphia City Council honored him in 2013. This particular program is shaped by the style and influence that defined his legacy, built around an orchestral sound and his signature piano flair.

On stage, vocalist Hugh Panaro and pianist Charlie Albright join the Philly Pops Chorus, with Music Director Christopher Dragon conducting and Peter Nero himself there as Music Director Emeritus. The Philly Pops has a bit of its own story to tell, too: originally called Liberty Bell Pops, the ensemble was founded in 2023 by the former musicians of the pre-2023 Philly Pops, and the Nero estate gifted them the name. Under Australian conductor Christopher Dragon, they describe their approach as blending tradition with an innovative style that isn't bound by genre, and they keep a commitment to community access through neighborhood Artcinia concerts and free public appearances.

It's a matinee, so you'll be out by late afternoon. The performance is at Marian Anderson Hall, inside the Kimmel Center at 300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, starting at 3 PM on Saturday, October 24.