Philly POPS will cease operations at the conclusion of 2022-2023 season
PHILADELPHIA - After their final performance for the 2022 – 2023 season, the Philly POPS will perform no more.
In a statement on their website, President Frank Giordano and Board Chair Joseph Del Raso said, due to various circumstances, including the calamitous affect of COVID-19, they could no longer remain operational.
They went to say they are fulfilling this season’s calendar of already-scheduled performances, including their Christmas shows, but when the season concludes in 2023, they will close operations.
They added a heartfelt "thank you" to the community for all of the support they have received over the years and extended their gratitude to the musicians, adding they would continue to honor existing contract agreements.
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"My partner and I had our first date at the Kimmel Center. This is our annual tradition. We’re sad it’s going to be the last," fan Shannon Agnew said.
Known for its July 4th and Christmas performances, the POPS are down 25 percent at the gate, Giordano said, pointing to COVID-19 as the culprit. "We don't have an endowment. We live day-to-day by ticket sales and I just didn't want to take this organization into any more debt and it would be a disaster to wind down."
"We had met with our musicians last night until midnight," Jarred Antonacci, with Philadelphia Musicians Union, said. "We were on with most of them talking about the best way to move forward from here."
"Are the gigs coming back?" FOX 29's Jeff Cole asked.
"They gigs are coming back. Very happy to say we've had a busy week," musician Drew Nugent, with Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society, answered.
Nugent knows how hard it can be. The leader of a local jazz group, he says while he's working now, COVID hit all musicians hard and it still is. "I think it's sad news, but it's going to be what it is going to be. It's definitely a loss for our community."