New Haven, CT September 24, 2010: Swing and sing to the start of the New Haven Symphony (NHSO) Pops! season with Big Band Salute, Saturday, October 9, 2:30pm, at Hamden Middle School. Associate Conductor Gerald Steichen leads the NHSO Pops! through the greatest hits of the Big Band Era with special guest soprano Mara Bonde. Highlights of the evening include Embraceable You, In the Mood, and a special musical tribute to stage and screen actress Judy Garland! Encore Performances: Saturday, October 9, 8:00pm, at Saxe Middle School, New Canaan and Sunday, October 10, 3:00pm, at Shelton Intermediate School.

Acclaimed for her electric stage presence and pure tone, Mara Bonde has performed throughout the United States and Europe. Equally at home in classical and popular styles, Mara made her Boston Pops debut under the direction of Keith Lockhart in Brush up your Shakespeare, which was nationally televised on PBS’s Evening at Pops. Also on the concert stage, she has appeared with the Naples Philharmonic, Utah, San Diego, Charlotte, Stamford, Syracuse, Ridgefield, Nashua, and Cape Symphony Orchestras, the Handel & Haydn Society, and Boston Baroque. She also performs and records regularly with Boston Musical Theater.

Single Tickets ($35 & $45) can be purchased by contacting the NHSO Box Office at (203) 865-0831, ext. 10 or by visiting newhavensymphony.org. Student tickets are ALWAYS $10.

The NHSO is making it even easier to join us this concert season. This year first-time subscribers SAVE 50% when they subscribe! Subscriptions start as low as $52.50 for 3 Pops! concerts. Don’t miss a note! For more information or to receive a brochure contact the NHSO Box Office at (203) 865-0831 or visit www.newhavensymphony.org.

This concert series is made possible through the generous support of Whitney Center, R.D. Scinto, Newtown Savings Bank and New Haven Register.