Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell returns to the Pops for hugely popular “Holiday Pops” trio of concerts

John Morris Russell and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra reprise its hugely popular Holiday Pops concert program at Music Hall December 5 (8pm), December 13 (8pm) and December 14 (2pm). Tony-winning Broadway star, baritone Brian Stokes Mitchell, will be the featured guest vocalist for all performances. The concert program includes an array of popular holiday-themed classic carols and contemporary favorites, including many tunes featured on Home for the Holidays (on which Mr. Mitchell also appeared), the most recent holiday disc from Mr. Russell and the Pops. The program also incorporates the local talents of the Cincinnati Children’s Choir and Cincinnati Studio for Dance, adding energy and spectacle to one of the Pops’ most beloved (and often sold-out) programs of the year. The Orchestra will also perform the program for audiences in Florida during the Pops’ first tour to the Sunshine State, which includes stops in St. Petersburg, Ft. Lauderdale, Sarasota and Key Largo.

The family-friendly performances will feature costumed Frosty and Rudolph characters in the Music Hall lobby (with photographers available for family photos) and other fun surprises.

Tickets for this concert start at $25 (kids’ tickets are just $10 for all three performances) and can be purchased via the Pops Box office by calling (513) 381- 3300 or visiting www.cincinnatipops.org.

This concert kicks off the Orchestra’s holiday programming, which also includes Christmas with Amy Grant (7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 16), Handel’s Messiah (2 p.m. Sunday, December 21) and New Year’s Eve with Storm Large (7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 31). The Orchestra also performs for Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker.

The Cincinnati Pops is grateful to the Pops series sponsor, PNC, the Pops Artist Series Sponsor, The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation and Concert Sponsor Graeter’s. The media partner for this performance is radio station Warm 98, and the ArtsWave partner company is Toyota.