Dancing through the decades with Macon POPS

Residents of Macon who went to see Clint Eastwood’s movie “JERSEY BOYS” may have seen a familiar face on the big screen. Macon POPS co-founder, President and CEO Steve Moretti, is seen playing drums throughout the film, which depicts Franki Valli and The Four Seasons’ road to fame. Moretti, a Grammy-nominated percussionist, is also the drummer for the Macon POPS, a group of 40 world-class musicians who have made their goal to transform the way people think about orchestral music. Along with fellow artistic director and conductor Matt Catingub, Moretti and the Macon POPS premiered last season with a successful show called “Dancing Through the Decades,” which featured music ranging from the 1930s to popular present-day hits. Unlike many more common, cookie-cutter orchestral concerts, the Macon POPS concert served food and drinks to guests and encouraged them to dance as much as they liked.

Macon POPS will open their new season on September 6th at Macon Auditorium with a continuation of their debut concert entitled “Dancing Through the Decades, Part II.” The vast success of their first installment featuring a variety of popular songs from the ’40s to the hits of today. The concert will also feature one of the songs Moretti performs in Clint Eastwood’s “Jersey Boys.” The night promises to be not only an unconventional concert but a truly unique experience in music, a concert to watch and in which to participate. Guests are encouraged to bring “a date and their dancing shoes.”

The season will continue with a concert entitled “Classically Jazzed” on November 1st. The concert plans to feature works of composers who have their musical backgrounds in not only classical but also jazz styles. The program will even premiere a piece written by co-founder Matt Catingub, “Three Shades of Blue, Concerto for Violin, Orchestra and and Jazz Trio.” The piece was written specifically for Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin virtuoso and director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings in Mercer’s Townsend School of music, and her husband, Steve Moretti.  The evening promises a night of dancing and wonderful music.

The season will conclude on February 28th with a very special concert, “Celebrating the Music of Macon!” The concert will feature music of artists exclusively hailing from Macon or with ties to Macon and its rich musical history. Maconites are encouraged to come to the concert and to experience Macon’s musical history past, present, and what Macon POPS hopes for the future.  Macon POPS has announced specials guest performers such as Floco Torres, rapper, and The Redding Brothers, an indie rock trio from Tennessee, but promises a few more surprises as well!