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Firebird Pops Orchestra: Sea to Shining Sea
July 2, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
The Firebird Pops Orchestra Returns on Sunday, July 2nd
Performance: 7:30pm / Doors: 7:00pm.
Premier Seating: $50
General Admission: $40
Get ready to be swept away by a patriotic musical extravaganza as the Firebird Pops returns to Hammond Castle Museum for an unforgettable seaside concert celebrating the essence of America. Artistic Director and Conductor, Brendan J. Kenney will lead the Pops’ powerful strings and brass ensembles in inspiring renditions of beloved classics like “America the Beautiful” and “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.” But that’s just the beginning! Experience a symphonic journey through the vibrant landscapes and rich cultural traditions that define our nation, with original compositions like the breathtaking “American Sketches” and a captivating tribute to Alaska’s legendary Iditarod. From Sea to Shining Sea promises to be a magical evening that will ignite your American spirit to kick of your holiday celebrations.
This performance will take place on the ocean-facing lawn and will include an intermission. In the event of inclement weather, the performance will be move to the Great Hall.
The first two rows of seating are offered as Premier Seating. There are no assigned seats.
*This ticket grants you access to the Firebird Pops Orchestra performance which will be held outside on the ocean-facing lawn as well as access to the Museum Shop. At the time of this event, the Museum will be closed to tours. If concert ticket holders wish to tour the Hammond Castle Museum prior to 3pm on the day of their ticketed performance, Self-Guided Tour tickets may be purchased in the Museum Shop at a 20% discount. Proof of purchase of the Sea to Shining Sea performance will be required. The Museum and Museum Shop close promptly at 4:00pm.
About Brendan J. Kenney: (FPO Founder/Music Director) is a music director, conductor, and accompanist in the Greater Boston area with fifteen years’ experience, primarily in Musical Theatre. Brendan’s love of conducting surfaced in High School, particularly when he opted not to walk with his graduating class so he could “guest conduct” the wind ensemble’s performance of Pomp & Circumstance. Since then, he has had dozens of productions under his baton at educational, community, and community children’s levels – and had the honor of conducting the centennial season opener for The Concord Players in November, 2019.
In 2010, Brendan founded the “Call for Pit Orchestra Musicians” initiative to help raise awareness of the importance of budgeting for and utilizing the full orchestration for Musical Theatre. To date, the flagship Boston branch has over 3500 members with additional branches launched across the country and in Canada. The CFPOM initiative was also born of Brendan’s desire to start a summer/holiday community Pops orchestra, and the Firebird Pops is the result – ten years later!
For almost a decade, Brendan was a full-time Organist/Cantor/Choir Director for Catholic Churches, with a particular concentration on the Traditional Latin Mass and Gregorian Chant/Renaissance Polyphony. Between his church career and musical theatre career, he could be found playing, analyzing, coaching, and conducting music across the span of thousands of years in a single day. Despite a recent career change, he still occasionally substitutes as a cantor or organist alongside his full-time job as a web developer for a tech corporation headquartered in the Seaport District of Boston.
Outside of music direction and conducting, Brendan has been seen on stage in “The Secret Garden” (Captain Albert Lennox), “Grey Gardens” (Gould), and “Songs for a New World” (Man 2), as well as making guest appearances with the “MIT Artists Beyond the Desk” program. Additionally, he has been seen performing at the Orpheum Theater in Boston singing backup for Sarah Brightman’s Hymn tour, as well as the SNHU Arena (Manchester, NH) and the Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood singing backup for Josh Groban’s Bridges tour. He studies voice with Kim Lamoureux out of Middleton, MA and competed in the 2019 NATS Adult Musical Theatre division with high marks.
About Firebird Pops Orchestra:
Firebird Pops Orchestra is a nonprofit, community pops orchestra founded in July, 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic to provide hope in the arts “rising from the ashes” of a devastated industry, and debuted virtually in August, 2020 with nearly 60 musicians performing a medley of music from Harry Potter. The premiere performance received almost 40,000 views and praise from 7News, MuggleNet.com, and Nerdist. The orchestra now maintains a robust in-person season from June through December each year in Wakefield, Massachusetts and partner locations such as the Umbrella Arts Center (Concord), Museum of Science (Boston), and the FPO@Hammond series here at Hammond Castle Museum (Gloucester). Learn more about the Firebird Pops Orchestra here.
