About The American Pops Orchestra

APO was founded in 2015 with a mission to build community through music, blending popular and classical genres in innovative ways to engage new and diverse audiences..
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Through live and virtual performances, accessible educational initiatives and community collaborations, APO makes the highest quality art for the broadest possible audiences. Seeing an opportunity to challenge the status-quo of the repertoire a typical orchestra performs, Founder and Music Director, Luke Frazier, created The American Pops with the intent of breaking the mold of the traditional pops orchestra.

This new, distinctly “American” orchestra brings together versatile musicians, combines classical and reimagined programming focused around American Popular music, and presents each concert with an approachable, fresh spin in order to engage diverse audiences and make attending a live orchestral show more fun than ever.

Since its inception, APO has appeared in over 30 PBS Specials, including Wicked in Concert, Black Broadway, and United in Song. Through non-traditional orchestral settings, APO aims to deliver popular American classics to those who already know and love them, while also introducing these timeless pieces to younger generations in approachable settings.

In addition to our Mainstage concerts and performances for television, each APO season contains newly imagined children’s stories toured to underserved areas and live streamed monthly to over 100k children in all 50 states, the Annual NextGen National: Finding the Voices of Tomorrow Vocal Competition, and multiple community outreach programs!
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APO has performed in venues across the world including: The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, The Arsht Center, Kravis Center, 54 Below, Axelrod Center, The White House Historical Society, International Monetary Fund, The LA Music Center and more.
APO has been lucky to work with an unbelievable list of world class artists across all genres including: Patti LaBelle, Judith Light, Vanessa Williams, Kathy Najimy, Indigo Girls, Renée Fleming, Dionne Warwick, Lea Salonga, Rita Moreno, Audra McDonald, Stephanie Hsu, Fran Drescher, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cynthia Erivo, Betty Who, Paige Davis, André De Shields, Morgan Fairchild, Elaine Paige, Ariana Debose, Claybourne Elder, Peabo Bryson, Sandi Patty, Leslie Jordan, Midori, Billy Gilman, Matt Doyle, Kristin Chenoweth, Gavin Creel, and more.