North Shore Pops Play Heckscher Park

After the weekend's scorching heat wave, the weather cooled down Sunday evening, making it a perfect night for the North Shore Pops Concert Band's performance at . Crowds of all ages brought lawn chairs and blankets and filled the lawn in front of the Harry Chapin Rainbow Stage to take in the show.

The concert was part of Huntington's Summer Arts Festival, organized by the Huntington Arts Council, and the North Shore Pops have often been featured in the festival.

Sunday's performance saw the band, conducted by Eric Albinder, providing their audience with a wide variety of music. The setlist featured everything from big band music and opera, to show tunes and movie scores. Albinder invited the crowd to sing along, which they did, and even quizzed the audience to identify the songs played in the featured medleys. 

One medley, entitled "Hollywood Milestones," featured songs from movies such as Star Trek, Beauty and the Beast, Jurassic Park, and Jaws, which drew some laughs from the audience.

Other pieces showcased the band's two vocalists Kevin McDonagh and Baldwin native Maureen Smith-Setton. The singers each sang a solo with the band, then performed together on the medley from the Broadway musical Phantom of the Opera.

"These guys are awesome. I love singing with them," McDonagh told the crowd after singing "How High the Moon" with the band.

The performance finished with the popular Sousa march "Stars and Stripes Forever," which got the audience enthusiastically clapping along to the music.

Concertgoers praised the band for their choice of music. "Their repertoire is fun," said Eileen Kramer, whose husband Stan plays french horn in the band. "Films, the Broadway shows, it's all familiar and it's stuff you can tap your toe to. The concert was a wonderful way to celebrate the summer."

Band members were also satisfied with both their performance and the crowd's passion. "I loved it, I thought we did very well," said clarinetist Buck Ballantyne, who has been in the band for 18 years. "It's a great place to play and a great crowd. We look forward to performing here every year."

"I think the band sounded its best tonight and we had a fantastic audience, and I think that was the reason for it," said french horn section leader Denise Meshejian. "They really support the band and we do our best work that way."

The Pops have been performing free concerts around Long Island since its formation over 25 years ago. The band consists of men and women from Long Island and New York City ranging in age from 15 to 88. In addition to professional musicians, the band counts lawyers, doctors, and students as its members.

The band's next public performance is Tuesday, August 9th, at the Clark Botanical Gardens in Albertson at 7 p.m.