Huge concert kicks off fall season in Modesto. See who will perform when and where

This year’s Picnic at the Pops concert will fill you with soul.

The huge annual event presented by the Modesto Symphony Orchestra will be a tribute to Aretha Franklin this year. The show also will feature the music of Stevie Wonder and others, according to a press release.

In addition, the MSO announced it has hired a new music director, Nicholas Hersh. He will be the ninth music director for the orchestra, leading its upcoming 93rd season.

“Picnic at the Pops! Aretha: A Tribute” will be held Sept. 9 on the grounds of the E.&J. Gallo Winery.

The family-friendly outdoor concert attracts thousands from Modesto and surrounding communities for music under the stars.

The evening will feature the Modesto Symphony Orchestra led by Principal Pops Conductor Ryan Murray. Vocals will by Broadway actress Capathia Jenkins, along with Darryl J. Williams, the release said. The concert will include Franklin’s soulful hits “Respect,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and more.

Picnic at the Pops returned last year after a pandemic shutdown.

“Picnic at the Pops! holds a special place in our hearts not only because it is the MSO’s largest event of the season and our biggest annual fundraiser, but it is truly a beloved community tradition,” Caroline Nickel, president and CEO of the symphony, said in the release. “Last year, witnessing families and friends come together to experience pure joy as the stage lights up and the orchestra performs was so heartwarming, especially after returning from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Attendees are encouraged to pack picnic dinners and take blankets to spread out on the lawn. Outside alcohol is prohibited, though wine donated by Gallo along with other beverages will be available for purchase, with all proceeds benefiting the MSO, according to the release.

Instead of packing dinner, patrons also can preorder meals from The Village Butcher, or purchase food on site from The Sinaloense Food Truck and Yogurt Mill’s Froyo Truck. Details on food offerings can be found at ModestoSymphony.org/picnic.

Grounds open at 5 p.m., with the concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the winery, 600 Yosemite Blvd., Modesto.

Tickets for general lawn seating are $45 for adults, $12 ages 4-17; reserved lawn seating is $75 adults, $20 ages 4-17; free ages 3 and under. Tickets are available at ModestoSymphony.org or through the Gallo Center for the Arts by calling 209-338-2100.

New music director

As its new leader, Hersh will conduct the Classics Series for the MSO this season. He replaces David Lockington, whose 13th and final season was to have been in 2020, but he could not conduct his last concerts due to the pandemic.

The Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association began its search for a new director in 2018, according to another press release, with an initial response of more than 200 applicants.

“The process of selecting a new music director has been an inspiring experience for the MSOA Board of Directors,” Board Chairman Steve Pallios said in the release. “Careful deliberation, coordination and planning went into choosing our next artistic leader.

“Nick has a passion for producing high-quality performances and enhancing our community’s quality of life through music. The board and I are looking forward to Nick‘s ambitions for the MSOA through innovative and collaborative programming and understanding of what our community needs.”

Hersh “brings to Modesto an array of talents and accomplishments,” the release said. As associate conductor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, he led the symphony in numerous concerts and directed Baltimore’s education and family programming as well as serving as artistic director of that symphony’s youth orchestra.

He also created the BSO Pulse series, “through which he brought together prominent indie bands and orchestral musicians in unique collaborations,” the release said.

Hersh also frequently works with major symphony orchestras.

MSO brought in several potential directors to lead the orchestra in several of its programs.

Hersh led the MSO in November 2022, when audiences “were treated to his orchestral arrangement of Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14, “Death and the Maiden,” according to the release.

“I am beyond thrilled that my first music directorship will be in such a vibrant, music-loving city as Modesto,” Hersh said in the press release. “There was a certain electricity in the Gallo Center when the MSO musicians and I collaborated last year, shared not only onstage but with the audience as well.”