The Tucson Pops Orchestra will launch its 71st spring season on Mother’s Day with the first of three free outdoor concerts at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center in Reid Park — a farewell run of sorts, as the venue is set for extensive remodeling following the final performance.

The season opener is at 7 p.m. May 10, with additional concerts May 17 and May 24. All performances are free, supported by grants, local sponsors and audience donations. Artistic Director and Conductor Khris Dodge curates each program to reflect the cultural traditions that define Tucson’s identity.

May 10: Mother’ Day tribute

The season opens with a Mother’s Day tribute featuring the Arizona Women’s Chorus alongside vocalists Sarah Tolar and Liz Cracchiolo.

The first half will feature the Arizona Women’s Chorus performing “The Tides of Life,” an original composition by Dodge scheduled to premiere at Carnegie Hall. The second half shifts to Tolar and Cracchiolo performing duets and solos including “When You Wish Upon a Star,” “Unforgettable,” “Over the Rainbow” and “All of Me.”

Cracchiolo is a jazz vocalist and musical theatre veteran trained at the University of Arizona, with stage credits that include “Les Misérables,” “The Producers” and “Mamma Mia!” She performs regularly at Tucson’s Century Room and is a three-time nominee for Best Jazz Artist in the Tucson Weekly’s Best of Tucson poll.

Tolar is a performer, recording artist and music educator who has released three original albums and appeared on the Today Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. She holds graduate degrees in jazz performance from the University of North Texas and has performed across the United States, Europe, China and Canada before relocating to Tucson in 2021.

May 17: Guest conductor, student soloist

The May 17 concert will feature guest conductor Toru Tagawa and a featured solo debut from 16-year-old violinist Carly Cook, a sophomore at Canyon del Oro High School who has studied violin for a decade.

Cook will perform “Czardas” and “Hungarian Variations” with the orchestra. She is a member of both the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra and the Tucson Repertory Orchestra, has twice been selected concertmaster of the AMEA Southwest Regional Orchestra and holds a position in the Arizona All-State Orchestra.

Tagawa has led the Tucson Repertory Orchestra since 2011 and the Sierra Vista Symphony since 2016, taking the TRO on three concert tours of Japan. As orchestra director at Canyon del Oro High School, he guided the school’s ensemble to a Carnegie Hall performance in 2017.

May 24: Memorial Day tribute

The season closes with a patriotic Memorial Day concert featuring narrator Greg Curtis Wakefield.

All concerts begin at 7 p.m. at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, 900 S. Randolph Way, off Country Club Road just north of 22nd Street. Parking and shuttle service are available at the Randolph Park Golf Course lot on Alvernon Way north of 22nd Street.

A Food Truck Roundup will offer food and drinks at each performance.