WESTERLY — Adam Jacobs, an actor and singer currently starring in “The Who’s Tommy” on Broadway, will make his debut performance in Wilcox Park Saturday when he joins the Chorus of Westerly at the 43rd annual Summer Pops concert.
Jacobs, who has previously starred in such shows as ” The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “Les Mis,” will perform along with the chorus and Pops Festival Orchestra in a set of well-known Disney favorites, newly arranged for this year’s concert by by Westerly native John Tafone, the chorus’ arranger-in-residence.
Tafone has also arranged a special Y2K medley for this year’s Summer Pops, featuring hits from the 1990s and early 2000s, ranging from Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” to the theme to the television show, “Friends,” by the Rembrandts.
A community tradition since 1981, Summer Pops, conducted by Andrew Howell, celebrates the arrival of summer with a fun concert featuring music from stage and screen, patriotic favorites and new arrangements of recent hits.
The concert will conclude with its traditional finale featuring the 1812 Overture along with the Artillery Company of Newport, the bells of Christ Church, and Fireworks by Grucci.
Other music on the program includes “Stars and Stripes Forever” and a selection of music the chorus will be performing as part of its July 2024 concert tour to France and England.
A pre-show featuring the Shoreline East Band, the Westerly Morris Men, and Caswell and the Peel N’ Eats will begin at 6:15 pm.
Summer Pops is a free event produced and performed by the chorus in Wilcox Park, which is owned and operated by the Westerly Public Library, which has hosted the concert in the park since 1981.
No tickets are required and seating in the park meadow is first-come, first-serve. Members of the public may put blankets down in the park to reserve a spot (and then leave them unoccupied) beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 21.
Only blankets can be left unoccupied, chairs and other items will be removed. The concert main show run time is approximately 90 to 100 minutes, but this is subject to adjustment and change without notice — especially if weather is a factor at the event.
There is only one rain date for the performance — Sunday, June 23 — but all efforts will be made to have the performance on its original date. If weather is a factor, members of the public are encouraged to visit the chorus’s website — chorusofwesterly.org — for updates. Further information on the performance, including the full program, tips on parking and other event regulations, will be listed on the same website.
Summer Pops is a program of the Chorus of Westerly, a nonprofit arts organization, and all funds to produce this event are donated by over 300 individuals and 50 businesses in the greater Westerly-Stonington area.
