Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra has roots going all the way back to the 1870s but was not officially distinguished from its parent organization, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, until 1977. The early Cincinnati orchestra society programmed popular music concerts, and that continued with the Cincinnati Symphony, particularly under conductor Max Rudolf, who became its director in 1958. In 1965, Rudolf hired Erich Kunzel as assistant conductor and asked him to conduct the first "8 O'Clock Pops" concert. The "8 O'Clock Pops" series, held during the regular season, joined the CSO...