It’s rare to be treated to a concert by not one, but two exquisite singers who embody all that’s great about Broadway musicals. But it’s exactly what happened last night at 54 Below, where Kate Baldwin and Aaron Lazar, old friends and co-workers going back twenty years, offered an evening of well-chosen show tunes of their own devising.
Read More“Right now we are all desperately seeking contact and connections,” said Luke Frazier, Founder and Maestro, American Pops Orchestra, in a recent phone conversation on a chilly, rainy morning. The Voices of Tomorrow Virtual Vocal Competition concludes tonight (April 25, 2020) with the ten finalists live-streaming starting at 8 p.m.
Read MoreGiven the current social distancing guidelines, APO has developed "APO UNITED," online concerts from APO's selection of artists, highlights from APO instrumentalists and playlists of positivity by Frazier. They're available on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
Read MoreThe weather outside was surely cold and cranky. But the outside world could be quickly forgotten as the American Pops Orchestra (APO), led by Maestro Luke Frazier, gently took children and adults by the hand and engaged them with a gleeful new musical take on an old fairytale...
Read MoreAmerican Pops Orchestra's conductor Luke Frazier discusses upcoming musical with a modern twist and other shows at Arena Stage.
Read MoreGarrett will be join The American Pops Orchestra in a special tribute performance to the legendary Dolly on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. at Arena Stage in Southwest D.C.
Read MoreAudiences have loved Garrett Clayton in "Hairspray Live!," Disney movies and his dramatic roles, and now he's getting ready to add his voice to some of Dolly Parton's greatest songs.
Read MoreConductor Luke Frazier and yogi Michael Peterson give viewers of Let's Talk Live a sample of what people will hear and experience during APO's regular Music & Mindfulness yoga practices at Arena Stage.
Read MoreLet the American Pops Orchestra be the soundtrack to your next sun salutation.
Read MoreThe great American songbook — the popular standards of yesteryear — is important to conductor Luke Frazier because it connects people.
Read MoreDC Magazine celebrated five gents making major moves in the District.
Read More"Music and Mindfulness" brings together a small group of musicians with yoga teacher Michael Peterson
Read MoreKathy Najimy has been a vital friend to the LGBTQ community in its fight for equality, gleefully entertaining us along the way.
Read MoreWhen her Hollywood agent asked if she’d like to take part in a symphonic staged concert in D.C., Paige Davis reacted with characteristic enthusiasm — and sass.
Read MoreIn 2015, Mauricio Martínez was facing the potentially make-or-break decision dreaded by scores of rising young artists in the entertainment industry.
Read MoreEarlier this year, Luke Frazier, the founding music director of the American Pops Orchestra, “hit the rails and the trails” across America. His goal was to audition hundreds of students for the organization’s NextGen singing competition, ultimately whittling them down to 30 semi-finalists. But things didn’t go quite according to plan.
Read MoreOn Saturday, March 9, APO's Jazz Quartet will perform as 30 semi-finalists from university programs compete to win the top title. Votes from a panel of judges and the audience will determine the best voice of tomorrow. The program will take place at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater in Washington, D.C., beginning at 8 p.m.
Read MoreThe American Pops Orchestra has made it a priority to not only maintain Pre-COVID content in a virtual form, but also create new content to keep our audience engaged and our musicians employed. As an organization that strives to break the mold of concerts, we are using COVID-19 to reimagine our normal operations. Since March we have streamed two full original concerts, created solo performances by instrumentalist and vocalists, rethought our Music and Mindfulness series as a more often and virtual event, and partnered with organizations across the country in our virtual trivia series.
In addition, APO has held multiple in-person socially distanced outdoor Porch Concerts that provide our audience with the opportunity to safely see live art despite the current situation around us. Throughout the pandemic, APO has employed hundreds of musicians and artists and in a time when many other organizations couldn’t. In the words of Maestro Luke Frazier, “we never stopped.”
Moving forward, APO is proud to present our NextGen National vocal competition which will include students from across the country competing virtually for the chance to win a monetary prize and the opportunity to perform in a future APO MainStage Show. This will include a virtual audition and semi-finals with a live (COVID permitting) finals in Spring of 2021. APO has also filmed multiple productions that will be broadcast nationally on PBS. APO has been grateful to keep creating and making music despite the limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and will keep working to bring you, our valued audience, original and unique content.
To support APO as we keep moving forward you can click here, so that we can continue to employ more artists and musicians. If you have any questions about what APO has been doing during the pandemic, please email hannah@theamericanpops.org. Thank you and stay safe.