Musical menu for this year's Summer Pops

The Charlotte Symphony is less than a month from kicking off its annual Summer Pops. In case your appetite for music under the stars depends on what you'll hear, here's a look at what's in store at SouthPark and the other locations. 


Amid the traditional mixture of light classics, Broadway favorites and Hollywood fare, a few items stand out. 


In the opening concert, Dmitri Shostakovich's arrangement  of "Tahiti Trot" -- better know as "Tea for Two" -- will show that even Shostakovich could have fun when he wasn't brooding about life under Soviet rule. In the second program, Aaron Copland's "Outdoor Overture" will let everyone get acquainted with some Copland beyond the beloved "Appalachian Spring." 


In a salute to France, the finale of Berlioz's "Fantastic Symphony" will let the orchestra go a little wild. And in a less manic mode, three members of the orchestra -- flutist Amy Orsinger Whitehead, clarinetist Eugene Kavadlo and concertmaster Calin Lupanu -- will take turns in the spotlight during the month.


Here are the specifics:  


June 10: "Symphony Park Serenade," Albert-George Schram conducting. Wagner's Prelude to "Die Meistersinger"; excerpts from de Falla's "The Three-Cornered Hat"; Offenbach's "La Vie Parisienne"; Sibelius' "Finlandia"; Alford's "Col. Bogey March"; Shostakovich's "Tahiti Trot" and "Galop"; Mancini's "Songs of Italy"; Wendel's "Fiesta Mexicana"; and  "Tribute to Irving Berlin." Also June 8 at Stumptown Park, Matthews. 


June 17: "Symphonic Passion," Jacomo Rafael Bairos conducting. Beethoven's "Fidelio" Overture; Copland's "Outdoor Overture"; Lecuona's "Malaguena"; de Falla's "Ritual Fire Dance"; excerpts from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet"; excerpts from "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Also June 22 at Duke Energy Explorium, Huntersville. 


June 24: "Vive la France," Schram conducting. 
Bizet's "Farandole"; Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre" and "Tarantelle" (featuring flutist Amy Orsinger Whitehead and clarinetist Eugene Kavadlo); Chabrier's "Espana"; "March to the Scaffold" from Berlioz's "Fantastic Symphony"; Ballet Music from Gounod's "Faust"; Ravel's "Bolero." 


July 1: "Three Great American Composers," Schram conducting. Bernstein's overtures to "Candide" and "West Side Story"; selections from Rodgers' "Carousel" and "The Sound of Music"; Gershwin's "Cuban Overture," "An American in Paris" and selections from "Porgy and Bess." 


July 3: "Celebrate America," Schram conducting. Patriotic music such as Sousa marches and "Armed Forces Salute"; "Soul Bossa Nova" from Jones' "Shagadelic Suite"; Gardel's Tango (featuring violinist Calin Lupanu); Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture." Also June 28 at Belle Johnston Park, Pineville; June 29 at Village Park, Kannapolis; June 30 at Bailey Road Park, Cornelius.