Vince Gill to join Boston Pops for its 2013 spring season opener

The legendary Boston Pops will kick off its 2013 spring season May 8 with an Opening Night Concert featuring Oklahoma-born and bred Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill performing a selection of his most popular hits.

The 2013 Boston Pops season, May 8-June 15, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, will present a season-long tribute to the world of movie music, along with programs featuring a wide variety of American musical styles, including jazz, bluegrass, country, gospel, pop, classic standards from the ’50s and ’60s, and showstopping songs of Broadway and the American Songbook. For the programs focusing on the season theme, “Best of Hollywood Film Music,” audiences will hear their favorite music from classic movies and today’s popular soundtracks performed live by the Boston Pops, while the accompanying movie clips are projected onto a giant screen suspended above the orchestra.

Designed to appeal to audiences of all ages, highlights of the film-focused season include “Fantasia in Concert” featuring musical selections from “Fantasia 2000″ and the original 1940 movie “Fantasia”—one of the crown jewels of feature animation highlighting some of the most memorable classical music ever composed; “Pixar in Concert,” with hits from the movie studio’s 13 feature films, including “Finding Nemo,” “Monsters, Inc.,” and “Brave,” among others; a tribute to the legendary film and Broadway composer Marvin Hamlisch, creator of the iconic scores to “A Chorus Line,” “The Way We Were,” and “The Sting”; and the ever-popular Film Night, under the direction of Boston Pops Conductor Laureate John Williams, one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage.

The Boston Pops spring season inspired by the music of the movies will kick off May 8 with a Lockhart-led Opening Night featuring classic movie themes from films including “Gone with the Wind,” “Casablanca,” and “Cinema Paradiso,” as well as the classical music brought to animated life in Disney’s Fantasia and some recent hits from Williams. The second half of Opening Night of Pops welcomes Gill’s country crooning.

Second only to the legendary Brooks and Dunn for winning the most country music awards in history, the Norman-born and Oklahoma City-bred singer/songwriter/musician has 26 million album sales under his belt, and has produced hit songs such as “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” “When I Call Your Name,” and “Whenever You Come Around” during a career spanning three decades. Gill’s post-intermission set will feature some of his most best-known tunes and a complimentary pre-concert reception will be available to ticket holders free of charge during the Opening Night festivities.

In celebration of the 2013 Boston Pops season theme, the orchestra invites film music fans to participate in programming the season by submitting their favorite themes to popsmoviemusic@bso.org; the top three selections will be performed during the 2013 Boston Pops season.

“We are delighted to present the ‘Best of Hollywood Film Music’ 2013 Boston Pops season, May 8-June 15,” said Lockhart in a news release. “Since virtually everyone loves movies and movie music, I can’t think of a better season theme to draw our loyal audience and welcome new comers to experience the thrill of hearing this extraordinary music performed by the one and only Boston Pops in the remarkable setting of Symphony Hall. I hope movie lovers near and far will send in their favorite themes to popsmoviemusic@bso.org and help us fill in our programming with what is sure to be the very best of what the world of film music has to offer.”

In addition, the 2013 Boston Pops season will present two of today’s most popular singers from the worlds of television and Broadway. Megan Hilty, star of the hit NBC series “Smash” and the Broadway stage makes her Boston Pops debut in an evening of “Hollywood’s Greatest Love Songs,” including “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” among other selections. Tony-award nominated Matthew Morrison, now instantly recognizable as Will Schuester from the hit Fox television show “Glee,” will join the Pops in an evening of song and dance reminiscent of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, and other classic movie dance moments.

The 21st annual Gospel Night at the Boston Pops will feature conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd, the all-volunteer Boston Pops Gospel Choir, and a special guest appearance by the inspirational baritone Wintley Phipps on May 25. Rounding out the season with programs of the classic standards of the ’50s and ’60s, Boston Pops concerts on May 21, 22, 13, 23, and June 1 draw inspiration from the award-winning AMC television show ‘Mad Men.’ These performances welcome Steve Lippia, who Pops conductor Lockhart has called, “the absolute vocal reincarnation of the Sinatra sound.”