East Valley Pops sets four holiday concerts

The 65-member East Valley Pops Orchestra is ready to celebrate the season with four holiday concerts in coming weeks.

“We’ve found over the years that these performances are a great way for families and friends to gather and experience the magic of live orchestral music together at a pretty magical time of the year,” Julie Mahoney, EVPO’s longtime director, said in a release.

EVPO’s “season” begins with a free concert at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mesa Tuesday, Dec. 3. That’s followed by a Dec. 6 program at Mesa’s Apache Wells, a Dec. 9 performance at Mesa’s Sunland Village East, and a Dec. 17 concert at Apache Junction’s Superstition Sunrise RV Resort. All are open to the public and begin at 7 p.m.

Information about tickets for the final three holiday programs is available by contacting the host communities.

“We’ll be playing a wide variety of music,” Mahoney said. “Much of it, we believe, inspires a feeling of joy. Some of it, a little nostalgia. All of it is entertaining. There might even be a sing-along. We can pretty much guarantee that if you weren’t in the holiday spirit before the concert, you will be when you leave.”

Now in its 43rd year of entertaining audiences throughout the region, EVPO gives financial support to instrumental music education programs in area public schools. It will present a dozen concerts in February and March, including two in area schools.

Holiday concerts are:

• 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 3 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 322 N. Horne in Mesa. (Free admission.)
• 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 6 at Apache Wells HOA Community Center, 2233 N. 56th St. in Mesa (480-306-5475)
• 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 9 at Sunland Village East, 2145 S. Farnsworth Drive in Mesa (480-380-0106)
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Superstition Sunrise RV Resort, 702 S. Meridian Road in Apache Junction (480-986-1775)