Summer's Biggest Party
by Zoë Kirsch
This summer’s biggest bash, the 13th annual Boston Pops on Nantucket concert, will be held this Saturday, August 8, at Jetties Beach. Featuring an island talent, a renowned TV personality, a Broadway star, and a world-famous conductor, this is a show you won’t want to miss!
Local student Alex Kopko is singing the National Anthem. Courtney O’Neill, assistant for the Pops, is confident that Kopko will blow her audience away, “She is a talented performer with a lot of stage presence; we knew she could stand up in front of 8,000 people and sing.”
MSNBC anchor and seasonal Nantucket resident Chris Matthews will host the evening. Matthews hosts “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” Monday through Friday on MSNBC, as well as the syndicated weekly news program “The Chris Matthews Show.”
Broadway sensation Michael Cavanaugh is show soloist. Handpicked by Billy Joel to star in the Piano Man’s smash hit Movin’ Out, Cavanaugh brings a thrilling night of Joel’s music, including showstoppers “Uptown Girl,” “River of Dreams,” “You May be Right,” and “Piano Man,” to Jetties Beach. He is a Tony and Grammy Award nominee. Michael released his first album, In Color, this past January.
And for the main event, maestro Keith Lockhart will lead the orchestra with music from the Boston Pops' latest release The Red Sox Album, which is composed of Fenway favorite “Sweet Caroline” and other baseball classics, such as “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” with soprano Kristen Watson and tenor Matthew Anderson, and “Casey at the Bat” with narrator Jeremiah Kissel. The twentieth conductor of the Boston Pops since 1995, Lockhart is “loved by audiences far and wide for his inimitable style, expressed not only through his consummate music-making, but also by his unique ability to speak directly to the audience about the music to which he is so passionately committed,” as stated in his official biography.
The Pops on Nantucket concert raises funds for the island’s only hospital. The money will go towards purchase of cutting edge equipment and continuation of state-of-the-art patient care.
General admission tickets, as well as special reserved seating are currently available on the hospital’s website, www.nantuckethospital.org, or by calling 508-825-8250. The price for tickets is $30 for General Admission, $600 for Friends seats, and $1500 and $2500 for Patrons and Benefactors tickets, respectively.
The Jetties concession, tennis courts and beach will be closed to the public all day on Saturday, August 8. Concert attendees should bring food and drinks (no refreshments will be sold), as well as something to sit on (chairs, blankets, and towels are popular options.) No glass or dogs, please! Recycling and trash bags will be provided, so everybody can do their share with cleanup.
North Beach Street will be open to motor traffic for concert drop-offs only (at the intersection of N. Beach and Bathing Beach Roads). Hulbert Ave. and Bathing Beach Road will be closed to traffic on the afternoon and evening of Saturday, August 8. Direct shuttles to Jetties Beach will not be available. Please use regular NRTA routes (regular rates apply).
Also on Saturday, August 8, marine vessels will be prohibited from anchoring in areas where firework pyrotechnics will be projected above. Local and Federal agencies will clearly mark and patrol restricted areas.
