Picnic with the Pops changes with nights of ‘Oz,’ Matthew Morrison

Lexington’s annual Picnic with the Pops will be making some changes as it celebrates its 37th edition Aug. 19 and 20.

Instead of presenting the same program both nights of the event, Picnic will feature a two-night festival format, with different programs each night. As is tradition, both nights will feature the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra.

The first night, The Wizard of Oz will be screened while the Philharmonic performs the original soundtrack live. The second night will feature actor and singer Matthew Morrison, best known for his role as choral director Will Schuester from the Fox series Glee. Morrison has been nominated for Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe awards, and he recently starred as J.M. Barrie on Broadway in Finding Neverland.

The gates for the picnic open at 6 p.m. both nights, and the concerts will start about 8:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to come early to enjoy food and pre-concert events. There will be food vendors, but people may bring their own food and drinks or arrange on-site catering. There also will be the annual table-decorating contest both nights. With two programs each night, seating will be expanded for the event.

The picnic started in 1980, when Lexington Mayor Jim Amato and previous chairman Thomas Minter came up with the idea. It has previously hosted jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and grammy-nominated Cuban music group Tiempo Libre.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Picnic with the Pops changes with nights of ‘Oz,’ Matthew Morrison."