Musicians of the No Name Pops perform at a Peter Nero tribute concert. The orchestra will soon be rebranded as the Philly Pops. Photo courtesy of No Name Pops.
In Thursday’s (10/31) WHYY (Pennsylvania), Peter Crimmins writes, “The so-called No Name Pops orchestra in Philadelphia has a new name that will sound familiar to many: Philly Pops. The start-up orchestra has been trying to stand in the shoes of its predecessor since it formed last year, and now legally has its name. The No Name Pops spun out of the Philly Pops as musicians fled the ailing orchestra that stopped performing due to financial woes…. The name ‘Philly Pops’ is owned by the family of the late conductor Peter Nero, the frontman of the Pops for decades. In a deal six months in the making, the Nero family has gifted the name to No Name Pops, along with Peter Nero’s music library. No Name Pops has given Nero the posthumous title of Music Director Emeritus…. Nero’s children, Beverly and Jedd, praised the No Name organization … The next concert will be Nov. 16 at the Kimmel Center, and then a holiday concert on Dec. 14, but the name change will likely not be in place until next year. Until the rebranding is complete, the orchestra will still perform under No Name Pops.”
