The show must go on: Salisbury Symphony’s Pops at the Post ‘felt like family’
Published 12:10 am Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Karen Kistler
karen.kistler@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — The show must go on, and on Saturday, it did.
Because of the weather forecast, this year’s Pops at the Post concert was moved to a different location. This is the first time in the event’s history that it has moved because of weather, but the decision was made to move the concert to Keppel Auditorium on the Catawba College campus.
“With all the changes, we have shown the community of Salisbury that we care so much that the show must go on,” said Stephanie Potter, president of the Salisbury Symphony board of directors. And they put the show together and it was done so in a short amount of time.
Making the move from Bell Tower Green, the concert’s new and originally planned concert location for this year to inside Keppel was “a Herculean effort,” said Salisbury Mayor Tamara Sheffield during her opening welcoming remarks at the concert.
She thanked those who made it happen and noted how fortunate Salisbury is to have Catawba College and the facility to move into for the event.
The move was handled quickly, and they “didn’t miss a beat,” said Mandy Barber, associate director of conferences and events at the college.
They set up approximately 125 chairs in the Crystal Peeler Lounge for the Salisbury Swing Band concert, which was held prior to the symphony’s performance in the auditorium.
Dr. Frank Poolos, who is the band director, told the crowd that this was the “first time indoors, but we’re having a good time, and asked if they were too, which was met with a resounding yes and applause.
The band began at 5:30 p.m. and continued until 7 p.m. playing a variety of pieces including vocalist Billie Jean Snuggs. Many of the songs, some of which included an Earth, Wind and Fire medley, “What a Wonderful World,” and pieces by Glen Miller and George Gershwin, had people dancing and others swaying in their seats to the music.
At the conclusion of the band’s performance the crowd quickly and easily transitioned over to the auditorium for the symphony’s concert.
Peter Ferretti, the new executive director of the Salisbury Symphony, noted how “quickly the community came together” to make all of this work and said he was “impressed by just so many people working together and problem solving and triaging. It was just the most spectacular thing to watch and be a part of.”
This year’s event was a year of firsts as was noted throughout the event, with this being Daniel Wiley’s first year to serve as conductor of the concert and the introduction of Ferretti in his new role. And while the venue was changed due to weather, the concert was originally to be held at the Bell Tower Green, a new space for the concert. Audrey Eudy, vice president of the Pops at the Post board, said it was a board decision.
Thanking the owner of the Salisbury Post building for graciously allowing them to use this space, Eudy said that they began exploring the use of the stage several years ago, and that “Karen Alexander, being an architect, was a large part of those conversations, looking to see what all we needed for the symphony and all the different options, what could we make happen.”
Multiple people that were in attendance shared that no matter where the concert is held, they would be there.
Longtime professor at Catawba College, Karl Hales and his wife Lynn, were there and said they have been to the concerts in rain, cold and heat and haven’t missed one.
Karl said they attended when it was at the transportation museum as well. “So this is just a different venue, but it will be the same thing. We love it.”
Acey and Carol Worthy, originally from California and now of Salisbury since 2011, said they have been coming since they moved.
Acey said they enjoy coming, “but we are sad that it’s not outside” to which Carol added, “we miss the food trucks.”
Another longtime attendee, Jane Smith-Steinberg, said she had not missed any of the concerts that she could remember and she always looks forward to them, and while those who would have attended with her were out of town, that didn’t deter her from coming.
Angela Dittmeier and her granddaughter Bria Peters came to see Dittmeier’s former neighbor Snuggs sing and were glad to be in town for the event.
And another couple of Salisbury, Mr. and Mrs. Dietrich, both agreed they were looking forward to seeing the concert on the stage along with the new director and conductor.
Looking at the schedule, she said, “the music program sounds great. They always have a great selection.”
Cherrathee Hager said she was enjoying the evening and helping with handing out the free Cheerwine with the Carolina Artists group.
As for the change in locations, she said “it was actually really good, it’s really hot outside, so it was almost refreshing to be inside.”
After all had gotten seated in the auditorium, Sheffield said that the concert had a theme of Tragedy and Triumph, relating it to the year that the community had experienced with the recent hurricane that affected the state, the retiring of their previous conductor and the gaining of Wiley, the change of executive directors and hiring Ferretti, and the loss of two of the organization’s “most devoted board members, Mayor Karen Alexander and Melissa Robbins,” noting that their family members were in attendance that evening.
The concert began with the color guard presenting the colors and the first song presented was the “Star Spangled Banner.” It continued with Wiley introducing each piece sharing what they were about and the tragedies and triumphs reflected in each.
One piece, which began the triumph portion of the program Wiley said, “begins right here in Salisbury.”
The “Ramstein March” was written by a resident of Salisbury, Davis Brown, who he said “is among us and also noted that he wrote this march “based off of the Air Force Base in Germany.”
Some of the other pieces included selections from Camen, “Sent in the Clowns” the Phantom of the Opera” and “Serenade for Strings” during which time a tribute to the late Mayor Karen Alexander was presented with pictures of her through the years being played on the large screened televisions as the piece was performed. Sheffield returned to the stage prior to the playing of this piece to share a few words about Alexander noting she was a Pops at the Post champion and said “she was a driving force in ensuring that Pops became an annual event” and noted that Alexander, who was a member of the Pops board, “was able to be involved in planning this year’s Pops at the Post even though she left us too soon.”
The concert continued with audience participation as Wiley encouraged the crowd join in singing “America the Beautiful,” and during the 1812 Overture he asked them to serve as cannons, shouting out “boom” as he directed, These closing traditional pieces Wiley said “embody community and that’s what this concert is all about, bringing people together.”
As the last notes of “Stars and Stripes Forever” ended and the concert drew to a conclusion, the crowd rose to their feet for a long standing ovation.
Reflecting on his first Pops at the Post concert, Wiley said they were all “really excited that we could put on this show, put on this great tradition and it really felt like family, felt like community and that’s the point of the show. So I feel like more a part of this family now having done this. I couldn’t be happier.”
