Launched by locals just a few short years ago, New Canaan Pops in the Park is rapidly developing into a signature summertime event at Waveny.
This year’s concert, featuring the Norwalk Symphony, is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 8 (tickets here are going quickly, suggested $5 donation).
The Norwalk Symphony plays New Canaan Pops In The Park 2024.
We put some questions about New Canaan Pops In the Park to the nonprofit organization’s founder and president, Doug Kerridge, a town resident.
Here’s our exchange.
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New Canaanite: What are the origins of Pops In The Park?
Doug Kerridge: Growing up on the East Coast, I loved attending the annual Boston Pops outdoor concerts on Cape Cod and Nantucket, and the NY Philharmonic summer concerts in Central Park. Coming out of Covid in early 2022, I thought that Waveny Park would be a perfect setting for a similar outdoor concert in New Canaan that would be something special for my then house-bound kids and the New Canaan community.
Scenes from the inaugural Pops In The Park concert at Waveny in 2022. Photo courtesy of Norwalk Symphony Orchestra
I reached out to the Norwalk Symphony through Ned Tipton, the music director at St. Mark’s Church, and received a quick positive response. The Symphony was excited about the proposed concert and Chris Bell, their board chair, and Sandra Miklave, their executive director, were great partners in getting everything together in just a few months for our inaugural concert in June 2022. We also could not have done it without Chris Gruseke and Bankwell, who was our key initial sponsor and remains our largest financial supporter.
Our Pops in the Park committee was established in March 2022 and is comprised of New Canaan residents Matt Campbell, Dawn Sterner, Vanessa Lowry, my wife Susie, and myself. We organize and fundraise for the concert, and work with the local public and private schools to get the word out to students via their music teachers, and with the Lapham Community center to reach our senior community.
In addition, the town has been very supportive of our efforts from day one and we can’t say enough about how helpful Tucker Murphy, John Howe, Bea Watkins, George Benington, and the entire Parks and Rec Commission have been in making Pops in the Park a success, as have the many volunteers from the Scouts and SLOBs who help us on the day of the concert.
Scenes from the inaugural Pops In The Park concert at Waveny in 2022. Photo courtesy of Norwalk Symphony Orchestra
You now have three shows under your belt. What are some of the ways that Pops In The Park has been tweaked in these early years, if any?
As Pops in the Park has become more popular and established, we’ve grown the number of tickets available from 1200 for the initial concert to 1800 for this year’s concert in order to meet the increased demand.
We’ve also continued to tweak the sound system, which has given us some problems previously, and have hired a new sound company for this year’s concert that should greatly improve the listening experience for everyone.
What kind of feedback are you getting from attendees?
People love the relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere where they can listen to our amazing local orchestra, the Norwalk Symphony, play pop and classical favorites on the lawn in beautiful Waveny Park.
The theme of the June 8th concert will be “Rule Britannia!” and our program, put together by Jonathan Yates, the music director and conductor of the Norwalk Symphony, will focus on music liked to Great Britain, including Gilbert & Sullivan, Elgar, the Beatles, James Bond and more.
We know that early June can be a hectic time of year for New Canaan families with the end of school, sports and other activities, but Pops in the Park has a reputation as a wonderful way to slow down and enjoy great classical and pops music in our amazing Waveny Park setting.
For the kids, it’s a great introduction to orchestral music – they’ll likely know the music from Mary Poppins and will love “conducting” (with guidance from Jonathan!) as the Symphony plays John Philip Sousa’s crowd favorite: “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
We’ve also received some not as positive feedback on the sound system, which will hopefully be much better this year.
How quickly do you “sell out” of tickets to the free event? How do people get tickets? How is your organization funded?
Very quickly – we’re well on our way and will likely “sell out” this week.
Tickets are free (but limited) through Eventcube, with an encouraged $5 (at least!) per person donation to help support our concert. Your donations will support this year’s concert and our annual Pops concerts going forward!
New Canaan Pops in the Park, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) that is funded by generous contributions from local families, businesses and foundations. Bankwell is our biggest financial sponsor and has been a great partner since our launch in 2022. We’ve also been lucky to have strong support from a number of amazing local institutions, such as the Waveny Park Conservancy, New Canaan Community Foundation, Karl Chevrolet, Walter Stewart’s Market, New Canaan Music, State Farm and the Franco family, as well as a number of very generous local families.
Give us some of the nuts and bolts of Pops In The Park. When should they plan to arrive at Waveny on Sunday, June 8? What should they bring? Any other tips for attendees?
We suggest arriving at least half an hour before the concert to find a nice spot on the lawn to spread out and relax. Attendees should bring blankets, chairs and enough food and beverages to see them through the concert. We ask that everyone respect the “No Parking” signs and please clean up and take your trash with you after the concert.