The East Valley Pops Orchestra
EVPO at Chandler Center of the Arts, Wed. 3/5/25
Welcome to the East Valley Pops Orchestra!What’s the East Valley Pops Orchestra best known for?
Might be that it’s been entertaining audiences in the East Phoenix metro area for all or part of five decades now. Might be that it’s provided a meaningful musical outlet for hundreds of fine volunteer musicians over those years. Might be that just in recent years it’s provided more than $130,000 in financial support to local Title 1 schools’ instrumental music programs. We invite you to browse this website to learn all about us and—especially—to come to our concerts. We feel certain you’ll be entertained and maybe even inspired to become more involved! A couple more basic facts: Our “season” runs from November to March. Our home base is at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mesa, where we rehearse Monday afternoons. And here’s where you can email us in case you have any questions or comments. |
Latest News
3/25/25 • Our 2024-25 Season Comes to an end
Our final concert at St. Mark's was a rousing event to a packed house! Thanks to all our volunteer musicians who do so much to spread music around the East Valley. And thanks to all our patrons who support our charitable efforts to ensure that students in our schools continue to have access to music education. We hope to see you all again next season! Listen to an interview with EVPO Music Director Julie Mahoney on KJZZ:
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Below are photos from our 2024-25 Season kickoff on December 3rd at St. Mark's.
All photos by Martin Konopacki
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AN INTERVIEW WITH MAESTRA JULIE MAHONEY
A former Mesa public school music teacher has conducted the East Valley Pops Orchestra for 30 of its 42 years—and she says the best is yet to come. Violinist Stephen Vogel interviewed Maestra Julie Mahoney as we prepared for our new season:
Tell us how you came to be associated with EVPO three decades ago. Julie: When my late husband retired from teaching in Omaha, we relocated here in Mesa. I immediately was on the lookout for a group to play with. I hooked up with a string quartet in which the second violinist was also a member of what was then called the “Citrus Gardens Concert Orchestra.” They’d had some significant turnover in their leadership and were searching for a conductor. The violinist asked me if I’d be interested, and I said yes! |
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Putting the baton in the hands of a woman was unusual then, right?
Julie: Actually, when I left for the job interview, my husband said, “They’re not going to want a youngster like you conducting the orchestra.” I was 40 at the time. So the male-female thing really wasn’t top-of-mind with me. I just said, “We’ll see what happens.” But then for the three men who interviewed me, I sensed gender was a greater issue than age. But we agreed on a one-year commitment, and here we are, about to begin our 30th season together.
And today there are more and more female conductors.
Julie: That seems to be the case, but let me say that when I step on the podium, it’s not like I’m thinking I’m a female conductor. I just always try to be the best I can be, always trying to raise the orchestra’s quality, striving for improvement.
And it’s obviously an important part of your life.
Julie: Important and enjoyable. When my husband died six years ago, music, and especially EVPO, helped fill the void, helped me make the transition from marriage to widowhood. I rejoined the Chandler Symphony where I play viola. You can also find me occasionally playing in a mariachi band and on keyboard in a Dixieland group, too.
So tell me about the East Valley Pops Orchestra.
Julie: We’re a full-size orchestra, about 70 members strong, most of them music hobbyists, though we have a number of retired music educators and professional musicians. I always say you can retire from your job, but once you’re a musician, you remain a musician for your entire life. We’re mostly—but not all—senior citizens, many of them people who hadn’t played a lot since their college or high school days but then refreshed their musical skills. Some are even taking lessons now. About a third of EVPO’s members are “snowbirds.” I just did a count. We come from 11 states and three Canadian provinces. That’s why our season is fairly short, starting late this month and ending in March.
And what kind of music do you play?
Julie: We just kind of want to be like the Boston Pops of the East Valley. We present music that’s familiar to our audiences: movie themes, show tunes, semi-classical and patriotic melodies. And, of course, in the five concerts we’ll do between now and year’s end, we’ll play a lot of holiday music as well.
I know EVPO also has a philanthropic side.
Julie: Which I’m very proud of. We’re able to donate thousands of dollars each year to help support instrumental music programs in some of the area’s budget-challenged public schools. It comes from contributions made by audience members, by orchestra members and other music lovers to a special 501-c-3 fund. This year [2024] we invited 18 Title I elementary schools to a couple of school concerts in Mesa and Gilbert—a chance for the kids to experience the sound and excitement of a full orchestra. That’s also when we presented those schools checks totaling $27,000.
How did the orchestra manage through the pandemic?
Julie: In March of 2020 our season was cut short with our last three concerts canceled. We resumed rehearsals and performances in the fall of ’21 with masks and vaccinations and operated more or less normally in the past season. Those were tough times for everyone we hopefully won’t have to repeat. But health, of course, is a priority.
Are there special challenges associated with conducting an orchestra made up largely of seniors?
Julie: Well, first let me say I have a lot of help. Twelve years ago Chris Perry became EVPO’s associate conductor. He’s a very talented musician and conductor. We share rehearsal and performance duties, and he’s the go-to guy when it comes to booking performances. And he’s considerably younger than me! Now, about senior citizen musicians, there are plusses and minuses. The minuses are pretty obvious and come in the physical realm. Playing an instrument can be challenging. Endurance and stamina can be an issue for seniors. So can hearing. We have to acknowledge that and deal with it. The plusses may not be so obvious, but they’re considerable. They play and practice because they love it. They are devoted. They bring a lot of knowledge and substantial experience. They have patience with one another. And when the audience responds with enthusiastic applause and maybe a standing ovation, they feel really good. Me, too.
Julie: Actually, when I left for the job interview, my husband said, “They’re not going to want a youngster like you conducting the orchestra.” I was 40 at the time. So the male-female thing really wasn’t top-of-mind with me. I just said, “We’ll see what happens.” But then for the three men who interviewed me, I sensed gender was a greater issue than age. But we agreed on a one-year commitment, and here we are, about to begin our 30th season together.
And today there are more and more female conductors.
Julie: That seems to be the case, but let me say that when I step on the podium, it’s not like I’m thinking I’m a female conductor. I just always try to be the best I can be, always trying to raise the orchestra’s quality, striving for improvement.
And it’s obviously an important part of your life.
Julie: Important and enjoyable. When my husband died six years ago, music, and especially EVPO, helped fill the void, helped me make the transition from marriage to widowhood. I rejoined the Chandler Symphony where I play viola. You can also find me occasionally playing in a mariachi band and on keyboard in a Dixieland group, too.
So tell me about the East Valley Pops Orchestra.
Julie: We’re a full-size orchestra, about 70 members strong, most of them music hobbyists, though we have a number of retired music educators and professional musicians. I always say you can retire from your job, but once you’re a musician, you remain a musician for your entire life. We’re mostly—but not all—senior citizens, many of them people who hadn’t played a lot since their college or high school days but then refreshed their musical skills. Some are even taking lessons now. About a third of EVPO’s members are “snowbirds.” I just did a count. We come from 11 states and three Canadian provinces. That’s why our season is fairly short, starting late this month and ending in March.
And what kind of music do you play?
Julie: We just kind of want to be like the Boston Pops of the East Valley. We present music that’s familiar to our audiences: movie themes, show tunes, semi-classical and patriotic melodies. And, of course, in the five concerts we’ll do between now and year’s end, we’ll play a lot of holiday music as well.
I know EVPO also has a philanthropic side.
Julie: Which I’m very proud of. We’re able to donate thousands of dollars each year to help support instrumental music programs in some of the area’s budget-challenged public schools. It comes from contributions made by audience members, by orchestra members and other music lovers to a special 501-c-3 fund. This year [2024] we invited 18 Title I elementary schools to a couple of school concerts in Mesa and Gilbert—a chance for the kids to experience the sound and excitement of a full orchestra. That’s also when we presented those schools checks totaling $27,000.
How did the orchestra manage through the pandemic?
Julie: In March of 2020 our season was cut short with our last three concerts canceled. We resumed rehearsals and performances in the fall of ’21 with masks and vaccinations and operated more or less normally in the past season. Those were tough times for everyone we hopefully won’t have to repeat. But health, of course, is a priority.
Are there special challenges associated with conducting an orchestra made up largely of seniors?
Julie: Well, first let me say I have a lot of help. Twelve years ago Chris Perry became EVPO’s associate conductor. He’s a very talented musician and conductor. We share rehearsal and performance duties, and he’s the go-to guy when it comes to booking performances. And he’s considerably younger than me! Now, about senior citizen musicians, there are plusses and minuses. The minuses are pretty obvious and come in the physical realm. Playing an instrument can be challenging. Endurance and stamina can be an issue for seniors. So can hearing. We have to acknowledge that and deal with it. The plusses may not be so obvious, but they’re considerable. They play and practice because they love it. They are devoted. They bring a lot of knowledge and substantial experience. They have patience with one another. And when the audience responds with enthusiastic applause and maybe a standing ovation, they feel really good. Me, too.
