Military personnel to be guests of honor at BPO's 'Patriotic Pops' concert May 22-23

At this year's "Patriotic Pops" concert, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra will honor the military not only onstage, but at the box office, too.

Active duty personnel and veterans are invited to attend the BPO's "Patriotic Pops" concert free of charge. They can obtain a free ticket to either presentation of the concert by presenting ID at the BPO box office at Kleinhans. In addition, their families attending with them can receive a 20 percent discount on tickets for this concert.

The BPO and Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus present "Patriotic Pops" at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 22, and at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle, Buffalo.

BPO Associate Conductor Stefan Sanders will conduct this year's concert. "The Armed Forces Salute," "Colonel Bogey March" and music by John Williams, George M. Cohan and John Phillip Sousa are on the program. There will be a sing-along of patriotic favorites like "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Complimentary coffee and doughnuts will be available before the Friday morning concert starting at 9:30 a.m.

"Every year, our Memorial Day weekend concerts are dedicated to honoring the men and women who served in our military," BPO Director of Marketing and Communications Susan Schwartz said. "We hope that many of them will be our guests for this concert, and accept our deep appreciation for their service."

For tickets and additional information, call 716-885-5000.

As Buffalo's cultural ambassador, the Grammy Award-winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, under the leadership of music director JoAnn Falletta, presents more than 100 concerts each year. For more information about the BPO, visit www.bpo.org.