For more than four decades, the Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra has been a beloved staple of Long Island’s cultural scene, bringing the sounds of Broadway, film and classical music to parks and auditoriums across the region.
Under the baton of Maestro Louis Panacciulli, the orchestra enters its 41st summer season with a robust schedule of free performances, including a concert on July 13 at Mineola’s Memorial Park—a tradition that began in 1985.
“We started doing performances in that park in 1985, so this is our 41st year of concerts in Mineola,” said Panacciulli, who co-founded the orchestra in 1984 with flutist Dawn Manuel. “It’s a very special place for us. That concert is always one of the highlights of our season.”
The Nassau Pops was born out of community theater roots. Panacciulli, a longtime music educator and faculty member at Nassau Community College, had been involved in local productions of “The Sound of Music,” “South Pacific” and other Broadway classics.
While assembling pit orchestras for those shows, he began to hear a recurring sentiment from musicians: there wasn’t a local ensemble playing the kind of popular symphonic music made famous by the Boston Pops.
Inspired, he and Manuel launched what would become one of the few full-size orchestras on Long Island dedicated to Pops repertoire. Over the years, the group has grown to include 60 or more musicians, many of whom are music educators themselves.
“Most of our members are Long Island public school music teachers,” Panacciulli said. “Some have been with us for decades. We don’t hold auditions. Usually, new players come to us through recommendations from current members, which is the best kind of vetting.”
This summer, the Nassau Pops will perform five free concerts across Nassau County, beginning with a July 4 show in Glen Cove’s Morgan Park, followed by dates in Malverne (July 12), Mineola (July 13), Huntington (July 20) and Eisenhower Park (July 31), where they’ll accompany renowned tenor Christopher Macchio.
“Christopher Macchio has this incredibly powerful voice,” said Panacciulli. “He sang at [Trump’s] inauguration and has performed at countless county events. We’re thrilled to back him at Eisenhower Park.”
Each venue offers something unique. Malverne’s afternoon concert is held in a rare, tree-shaded park, allowing a daytime audience to enjoy music without the blazing sun. Huntington’s Heckscher Park and Eisenhower Park are larger venues that draw crowds from across the region.
While the orchestra has played with stars like Tony Danza, Marvin Hamlisch and Joe Piscopo, the heart of its mission is bringing live symphonic music to local communities—something Panacciulli sees as increasingly rare.
“Live music is something that seems to be fading away,” he said. “Now, so many parks are filled with tribute bands. They’re great and they draw crowds. But we’re one of the few full symphony orchestras still performing outdoors during the summer.”
That mission has remained consistent even as the orchestra has evolved. Each year, the Pops performs a benefit for United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County in Roosevelt and every December, they partner with the Mineola Choral Society for a Christmas concert at Chaminade High School—both long-standing community traditions.
The orchestra’s repertoire spans decades of American popular music, from classic Broadway numbers to film scores and television themes. While the Nassau Pops doesn’t often delve into the traditional symphonic canon of Beethoven or Tchaikovsky, Panacciulli values the accessibility of his group’s programming.
“It’s a way for people in Nassau and Suffolk to experience a live symphony without having to travel into the city and pay the high prices at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center,” he said. “We’re keeping the arts alive locally.”
Panacciulli’s musical journey began in childhood. Growing up in Astoria in a family of musicians, he took piano lessons at age seven and later picked up the clarinet and saxophone. His uncle played in big bands in the 1940s and music was always present in the household.
“I once heard someone say, ‘musicians have to play,’” Panacciulli said. “That’s really what it comes down to. And it doesn’t matter how old you are—we have senior citizens, high school students, music teachers and professionals from all walks of life in our orchestra. We’re like a family.”
Today, Panacciulli lives in Franklin Square and continues to lead the Nassau Pops with the same passion that sparked the ensemble’s founding over 40 years ago.
As summer sets in, he hopes new audiences will come out to enjoy what the orchestra has to offer—especially in Mineola, where the Pops has deep roots.
“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built,” he said. “And we’re excited to keep sharing it with the community for years to come.”
For more information on concert dates, times and venues, visit www.nassaupops.com.
