Don’t Touch That Dial! — A Nostalgic Tune-In with the South Jersey Pops Orchestra

Sunday, November 2 • 3:00 PM • Lenape High School Performing Arts Center

Grab your snacks, adjust the rabbit ears, and settle in—because the South Jersey Pops Orchestra are taking you on a journey back to the golden age of the small screen!

The 2025–26 season opens with Don’t Touch That Dial!, a lively celebration of the music that shaped generations of television lovers. From the momentous themes that announced our favorite shows each night to the jingles and melodies that became part of America’s collective soundtrack, this concert dives deep into the soundtracks of early television.

The Pops are rewinding to a time when remote controls were new—if you even had one—and kids on shag carpets were the real remotes. Who remembers being told to turn the channel dial so Mom or Dad didn’t have to get up? Those were the days when families gathered around the TV, not the tablet.

Under the baton of Music Director Rob Bradshaw, the Pops bring that era back to life with a nostalgic blend of orchestral arrangements that capture the charm, humor, and drama of mid-century television. Audiences will be transported through time with memorable themes from beloved shows like The Fugitive, Bewitched, and Hawaii Five-O, along with the early sounds of the video games that would later define a generation.

“These are the melodies that introduced us to heroes, detectives, and dreamers,” says Shannon Halvorson, President of the South Jersey Pops. “They’re instantly recognizable, and yet when performed by a full symphony, they take on an entirely new kind of magic that can only be witnessed live.”

With its mix of swing-era rhythm, jazzy energy, and lush symphonic scoring, Don’t Touch That Dial! is both a tribute to television’s musical pioneers and a playful reminder of how much joy and nostalgia those opening notes once brought into our homes.

🎶 A Legacy of Local Music

Before the Pops became the South Jersey institution that it is today, music first filled Medford’s Culture Hall in 1967—a recycled wooden building on Friends Avenue that had once hosted 1930s dance bands and movie screenings. Under the direction of founding maestro Frank Salicandro, the newly formed first named Burlington County Pops Orchestra brought the sound of live music back to that beloved community space.

In those early years, audiences sat at small café tables, Boston Pops–style, enjoying light classical and show tunes as families, students, and lifelong musicians played side by side. The youngest performers were just nine years old; others were adults who dusted off instruments from their attics to be part of something joyful and new. Frank loved calling them teenagers and "recycled teenagers".

From that humble beginning, Salicandro’s dream—to “bring music into this community”—has endured for more than half a century. Today, the South Jersey Pops carries on that legacy of community musicianship, performing dynamic and imaginative programs across Burlington County and beyond. It’s that same spirit of collective effervescence—the magic of shared creativity—that fills the room at every Pops concert and keeps audiences coming back, season after season.

Tickets are just $23 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $8 for children 12 & under—an incredible value for live orchestral music! You can save even more with a season tickets, giving you access to all four South Jersey Pops performances this 2025–26 season.

So go ahead—grab your tickets, and whatever you do… don’t touch that dial!

🎟️ Tickets and season information available at SJPops.org