Boston Pops announce July 4 performers for nation's 250th

The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, led by conductor Keith Lockhart, returns to the Hatch Memorial Shell with a lineup celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary.

The free event runs from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 4. The fireworks display, choreographed with live music from the Boston Pops for the first time, begins at 9:15 p.m.

Special guests include three Grammy-winning artists: country artist Lainey Wilson, hip-hop artist Chance The Rapper, and New Orleans musician Trombone Shorty. All three artists will perform at the Hatch for the first time.

Lockhart referred to the guest artists as “three major stars in three distinctly American genres.”

“We are honored that the Pops’ July 4th concert is the centerpiece of the Commonwealth’s Massachusetts 250 celebration,” said Lockhart.

MA250 is an initiative from the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism to commemorate Massachusetts' role in the American revolution and honor the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.

MA250 programming includes the world premieres of two new works by contemporary American composers: “Song of Massachusetts," written and performed by Massachusetts Poet Laureate Regie Gibson to a score by BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon, and "Spirit of America” by composer James M. Stephenson.

A revolutionary-themed drone show will display while the Boston Pops play the 1812 Overture. “We Declare,” a performance of the Declaration of Independence and the winning video of a statewide competition for 8th graders, will screen during the show.

“Boston, Massachusetts is where it all started 250 years ago,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This is a history that inspires people from all over the world. This is a history that connects us...It's a moment of pure community, when we all recognize our place in history and our place in history and hope for the future of our country.”

In 1929, the Boston Symphony Orchestra held its first free July 4th concert on the Esplanade. In 1964, Boston began hosting its fireworks shows, and in 1976, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular took shape.

The Boston Pops will perform singalongs and Independence Day favorites with Boston Children’s Chorus, Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, Middlesex County Volunteers Fifes and Drums, Berklee pianist Pelin Su Yavuz, Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the USS Constitution Color Guard.

Public access to the Hatch will open at 12 p.m. on July 4. The Esplanade will offer concessions and activities, including the construction of a giant American flag with legos.

The event will be broadcast locally in Boston on WHDH-TV Channel 7 and streamed on the CNN app and CNN.com from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET.

“We expect the in-person crowd to break records – maybe over 500,000 – and be one of the most diverse and inclusive ever,” said Lockhart.

“Ours is the first, it’s going to be the best, and this year it's going to be bigger than ever,” said Governor Healey. “It’s going to be a truly great event, a truly American event, in the place where it all began. And we could not be more excited to share this with the world.”