“The goal of the event is to bring the corporate community together for an evening that supports the Boston Pops and celebrate the 125th anniversary of this venerable institution,” said Nina Jung, the orchestra's director of development events and volunteer outreach. New to the event this year were the guest stars and a playful element: Cut-outs of the orchestra maestros for guests to pose with for photos.
Before the main concert, which included a musical and narrative tribute to the Kennedys and the presentation of the National 9/11 Flag with a color guard of Boston and New York City firefighters, nearly 2,000 guests sampled Boston Gourmet canapes and cocktails during a pre-show reception that spanned the hall’s several function rooms. The decor mirrored that in the concert hall itself, focusing on vibrant color. “We wanted the evening to be fun and festive, all while using the colors chosen for this Pops season—orange, blue, and lime green,” Jung said. These colors appeared on the Be Our Guest-supplied linens, within the floral arrangements created by symphony volunteers, in the lighting from High Output, in Studley Press's printed materials, and even in the boxed dinners, which guests ate at their seats after the reception.
“We also tipped our hats to the past, with decoupage vases on the buffets featuring old Pops album covers,” she said. The boxed dinner, a mainstay of all 29 Presidents at the Pops events to date, also paid homage to Pops tradition by serving Postum mocha mousse and chocolate ganache cake. “Postum is actually the type of coffee that was served in the hall over 100 years ago,” Jung said.
