The North Charleston POPS! is more than a professional orchestra and concert series; it is a vital part of the community. Guided by a mission to inspire, engage, and connect with all audiences, the POPS! brings people together through the shared joy of music and through youth music education. The North Charleston Pops is making a lasting impact in the lives of concertgoers and students. This incredible non-profit organization is supported by corporate, business, and individual donations, grants, as well as ticket sales.
Join us for the 2025–2026 season at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center, performances include salutes the Oscars, Elton, country music, hits of the 80’s & 90s, and a special holiday concert.
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We have a unique style of combining an orchestra with other genres of music and vocalists, as well as video delights. It is always a surprise to first-time concertgoers, but they love it. We are innovative, unique, and totally entertaining.
Nick Palmer has been widely recognized for his compelling performances, visionary leadership and emotional connection to audiences and is regarded as one of the most talented symphonic and Pops conductors on the scene today. Maestro Palmer is in his fourth season as Music Director of North Charleston POPS! and is also Music Director of the Lafayette Symphony in Indiana and the Evening Under the Stars Music Festival in Massachusetts.
A note from the Maestro
You’re in for a rare treat at the PAC for the 25–26 season of the North Charleston Pops! Exciting music beautifully performed by your favorite Hometown orchestra, and some of the most amazing and talented guest artists in the business!
We’re kicking off the season, November 1, with A Night at the Oscars- a red carpet-worthy tribute to the silver screen! Enjoy powerful performances of beloved music from Wicked, The Greatest Showman, Casablanca, and more, featuring the return of one of our most popular artists from last season: Elena Flores. Nothing compares to hearing these iconic scores performed live by our full orchestra—this is Hollywood like you’ve never heard itI
Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with Sounds of the Season, December 20! The North Charleston Pops! and guest artists will fill the hall with classic carols, festive favorites, and sparkling surprises that showcase the warmth and spirit of the season along with guest artists Emily Curtis and Brandon John Waller. A perfect evening for the whole family—and a beloved tradition that brings our community together year after year.
Join the Pops! and featured artist Michael Sobie for Rocket Man: The Music of Elton on January 31, 2026. as we salute one of the greatest legends in music. From “Bennie and the Jets” to “Tiny Dancer,” this electrifying tribute to Elton will have you singing along all night long. Backed by the full power of the Pops! orchestra, every hit becomes a show-stopping celebration.
Your favorite throwback hits get the Pops! treatment in Rewind: Hits from the 80’s and 90’s, March 28, 2026: a high-energy night of nostalgia. Relive the sounds of Journey, Madonna, Nirvana, and more—reimagined with bold brass, soaring strings, and powerful percussion with guests Elise Testone and Robbie Madison. The songs you grew up with— in a way you’ve never heard before.
Get ready for a boot-stomping finale, April 25, 2026 as the North Charleston Pops! Goes Country blending classical precision with down-home country soul. From Dolly and Willie to today’s rising stars, our orchestra puts a fresh, exciting spin on the biggest country hits—bringing heart, harmony, and a little honky-tonk flair to the Lowcountry with the help of our talented guest artists Lauren Hall and Grayson Little. You won’t want to miss it!
Throughout the season, you will relive the Pops! tradition of a fun, relaxed and casual atmosphere, where great music comes alive!
See you at the PAC!
Maestro Nick
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Nick has had an ongoing relationship with the renowned London Philharmonic Orchestra and will make his third recording with the LPO later this season featuring the orchestral music of American composer Arnold Rosner at the famed Abbey Road Studios.
Nick Palmer has won rave reviews with the Detroit Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Louisville Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, Salt Lake Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, Springfield (MA) Symphony , Greenville Symphony and other orchestras across the nation. He has also conducted over a dozen performances with the Jacksonville Symphony during the last several seasons, including regional concerts in St. Augustine, Orange Park and Daytona Beach. Nick is a frequent Pops conductor for the Springfield (MA) Symphony and was recently named Principal Pops Conductor of the Altoona (PA) Symphony
Nick has also worked with many top Pops performers including Smokey Robinson, Neil Sedaka, Art Garfunkel, Clay Aiken, Al Hirt, Shirley Jones, Jeans and Classics, Ballroom with a Twist, Tony Desare, Mary Wilson, Cirque de la Symphonie and many others.
A favorite guest conductor in Europe, Mexico and South America, Palmer recently conducted the Europa Philharmonie at the Hardinsburg Castle near Berlin, toured with the Orchestra di San Remo for two weeks in Italy and led concerts with the Czech Radio Orchestra at the Prague and Nelahozeves Castles celebrating the music of George Gershwin.
The German press hailed Palmer’s conducting as “a musical high point with world class flair” and Radio Suisse Romande in Switzerland noted Palmer’s: “great professionalism with unity and verve”. Palmer has also led the West Bohemia Symphony, National Orchestra of Bolivia, Sophia Symphony, Sinaloa (OSSLA) and Monterrey (UANL) Symphony in Mexico, Milano Classico Orchestra, Medellin (EAFIT) Symphony and Lausanne Symphony.
A native of Hingham, Massachusetts, Palmer graduated cum laude from Harvard University and received his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Orchestral Conducting from the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Iowa, respectively. He also has studied at the Juilliard School, Pierre Monteux Domaine School, Aspen Music School, the Festival at Sandpoint, and the Academia Chigiana in Italy, where he was a student of Franco Ferrara and Carlo Maria Giulini. Dr. Palmer is also Distinguished Conductor in Residence at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Tacy Edwards is a co-founder of the North Charleston POPS! and served as its Executive Director for its first ten years. She has brought decades of experience in the arts field to the purpose of creating and nurturing this vibrant orchestra to become the heart of the North Charleston arts experience. Tacy is Principal Flute with the POPS!, holds the position of Second Flute in the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra and has been the Piccoloist with the CSO from 1992 to the present.
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“It has been rewarding to work with the POPS! team in this welcoming city of North Charleston, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary! The vision of the various mayors of the City of North Charleston have made the arts central to the community in building the Coliseum and, later, the Performing Arts Center. We are proud to call the Performing Arts Center our home and are impressed with the dynamic economic, cultural and domestic growth of the city as it continues to attract new businesses and has become the heart of the Lowcountry with its shopping choices, hotel accommodations, International airport, Boeing facilities, business opportunities and innovative new educational and recreational programs for the children of the community. North Charleston is definitely a great place to live, work and play.”
