The Boston Pops

The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In 1881, Henry Lee Higginson, the founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, wr

The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded in 1885 as a subsection of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In 1881, Henry Lee Higginson, the founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, wrote of his wish to present in Boston "concerts of a lighter kind of music." The Boston Pops Orchestra was founded to present this kind of music to the public, with the first concert performed in 1885. Called the "Promenade Concerts" until 1900, these performances combined light classical music, tunes from the current hits of the musical theater, and an occasional novelty number. Allowing for some changes of taste over the course of a century, the early programs were remarkably similar to the Boston Pops programs of today.