The No Name Pops gave a concert honoring the Philly Pops’ former leader, Peter Nero, who died last summer at age 89, in Verizon Hall on April 19. Photo by Heather Khalifa/Philadelphia Inquirer.
In Saturday’s (4/20) Philadelphia Inquirer,Peter Dobrin writes, “No Name Pops may be getting a decidedly less generic name. The self-organized group of musicians playing under the No Name Pops banner is negotiating with the family of late pianist and conductor Peter Nero to acquire the Philly Pops name. The group, which sprang up after concerts were suspended more than a year ago by the Philly Pops’ corporate parent, Encore Series Inc., made the announcement Saturday at a Kimmel Center concert honoring Nero. No Name Pops executive director Matt Koveal told The Inquirer that the group revealed the prospective name change before it was a done deal … Jedd Nero, Peter Nero’s son … declined to discuss details of the deal, but said talks were ongoing … The Nero family owns ‘ultimate rights’ to the name and, prior to 2024, had assigned rights to Encore Series … Peter Nero died in July 2023. He led the group from its founding in 1979 until 2013. The current status of Encore Series was unclear. The group … has been enmeshed in a lawsuit after being evicted by its landlord, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc…. Koveal said, ‘The board wanted the name, but what pushed it over the top were the musicians and their desire for the name.’ ”
