The Pops kicks off its 39th season bringing orchestra performance to the Sarasota-Bradenton community with The Holiday Spirit of Broadway with a Dec. 15 performance at the Neel Performing Arts Center.

The first in a season dedicated to the sounds of Broadway, Holiday showcases the songs that rose beyond the stage to become yuletide favorites and traditions, such as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “White Christmas” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” For several numbers, the orchestra will be joined by the choral group Diversity: The Voices of Sarasota, lending a human voice to the performance.

Known for playing popular classics, there has been demand in the community for the past three years to hear more Broadway music from The Pops, according to conductor Robyn Bell, now entering her fourth season wielding the baton.

“So I said, ‘Let’s do a whole season,’” laughed Bell before becoming serious for a moment. “When I made that decision, I had no idea how much music there really was.”

Maybe it was just enough, because this year The Pops brought a little extra. Beginning with Holiday, each show will be performed twice by the orchestra, once in Bradenton and once in Sarasota, affording fans from both communities more opportunity to attend. In previous years, the orchestra performed almost exclusively in Sarasota. Though a lot of work, Bell said the expansion is worth the effort for the community it serves.

“There aren’t a lot of places in the world that can do what we’re able to do here in Sarasota and Bradenton, and support both professional and community organizations,” said Bell. “The people of Bradenton are excited about having an orchestra on a regular basis. We’ve sold twice as many tickets as last year.”

A community orchestra in the truest sense, The POPS boasts musicians of all stripes and types. The youngest player is 13 and the most seasoned is 93 – “80 years of musicianship rehearsing together,” according to Bell. Mostly non-professionals, occupations range from radiographer to the owner of a pet cemetery, all playing “for the love of making music, not for a paycheck.”

The Pops performs The Holiday Spirit of Broadway at the Neel Performing Arts Center in Bradenton on Dec. 15 and at the Riverview Performing Arts Center in Sarasota on Dec. 21. Continuing the Broadway theme, The POPS mid-season concert celebrates famous Broadway love songs and the closing show, The Amazing Technicolors of Broadway is themed around color.