Leslie Odom Jr. with the Boston Pops, 5/22/26

Leslie Odom Jr. with the Boston Pops, at Symphony Hall, Friday, May 22.

On Friday night, Tony Award-winning actor and Grammy Award-winning singer Leslie Odom Jr. joined the Boston Pops for a stellar performance.

He is best known for originating the role of Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical HamiltonOdom Jr.’s second performance with the Boston Pops was highly anticipated as part of the Pops’ spring 2026 season. This year marks the Pops’ 140th season, as well as the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, so it was fitting to feature an artist associated with creative reimaginings of pivotal moments in American history.

The orchestra began the show appropriately with Dudley Buck’s Festival Overture to “The Star Spangled Banner,” during which beloved conductor Keith Lockhart asked the audience to stand and sing the national anthem. The theme continued with “Buckaroo Holiday” from Aaron Copland’s ballet rodeo. Lockhart referred to Copland as “the dean of American composers,” which set the tone for exploring the richness and diversity of American music.

He further explained that there are two distinct American musical art forms: jazz and American musical theatre. Realizing that an audience who was there to see a Broadway star was likely to appreciate musical theater, Lockhart launched his own musical theater troupe. circularThe opening number is “The Carousel Waltz” by Richard Rodgers, which is followed by “Times Square 1944” from On the city. Leonard Bernstein’s dynamic tone built the energy for a lively rendition of “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If You Ain’t Got That Swing)” by jazz pioneer Duke Ellington. The Pops ended this first act with what Lockhart called “an unusual arrangement” of Morton Gould’s patriotic anthem “Yankee Doodle.”

After a break, Odom Jr.’s band joined. The four-piece joined the Pops on stage, preceding the singer whose warm, velvety voice captivated the audience even before he stepped into the spotlight. Dressed in a coat and shiny gloves, Odom Jr. acted with a theatrical swagger that can only be achieved after years of honing his craft on stage and screen. He gave an impressive rendition of several songs, including “Fly Me To The Moon” and “My Favorite Things,” keeping his voice smooth and in control while transitioning seamlessly from one song to the next. When he introduced his band, he called attention to the fact that these musicians were also skilled dramatic artists, incorporating dramatic movements of their hands and bodies as they played.

The lighting up to this point had been a soft blue mixed with purple, illuminating the stage magically like moonlight to match the actor’s dreamy singing. But when he started singing the romantic classic “Love,” the lighting turned into a mix of vibrant pink, purple and red, as if he were celebrating Valentine’s Day in May at Symphony Hall. Odom Jr. mentioned the venue after the song, saying that “it was special to be in this room” and that “legends played on this stage” with a humility that suggested he wasn’t aware he was one of them. He noted that it had been nearly a decade since his last Pops performance.

In that decade, Odom Jr. appeared in films such as “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017), “Harriet” (2019), and “The Glass Onion: An Out of Knives Mystery” (2022). He also portrayed soul artist Sam Cooke in “One Night in Miami…” (2020), for which he was nominated for two Academy Awards. The film featured his cover of Sam Cooke’s song “A Change Is Gonna Gonna Go”. Odom Jr. and his band performed the heartfelt song on the Symphony Hall stage with soul and verve. The words resonated and touched the hearts of every audience member, sending a ray of hope for social change that is as necessary now as it was when the song was written in 1964.

Odom Jr. also made sure To indulge in Hamilton Fans in the audience. His rendition of “Wait For It” from the musical was raw and poignant, amplified by the strings in the Pops Orchestra. While his singing here sounded more controlled and calm than the emotional belt associated with the Broadway version, the pent-up emotion seemed to make the performance more powerful. As he sang the lyrics, “I’m the only thing I can control in life,” it was clear that it wasn’t Aaron Burr’s character singing them, but Leslie Odom Jr., who was pure and unapologetic himself.

He also performed his own version of the opening number from the musical “Alexander Hamilton.” Before singing, he expressed concern about remembering all the words to a fast-paced hip-hop show tune, and that he “usually [doesn’t] Do all these parts,” he said, referring to the song’s status as a big band number in the show. However, his talent shone as brightly as if he were back on Broadway. His powerful performance mixed the drama and theatricality that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s score demanded with his delicate singer style, and was accompanied by both the Pops’ rhythm section and the audience’s jubilant fingers. He swapped the lines of the other Hamilton characters in the final verse with a chilling reprise of his own as Aaron Burr: “And I…I…I…I “The fucking idiot who shot him.”

At the end of the show, Lockhart and Odom Jr. returned to the stage to take a final bow, with their arms around each other. The audience rose to thunderous applause in celebration of a night that embodies the depth and vitality of what American music can be.

Tracklist for Leslie Odom Jr. and the Boston Pops, May 22, 2026:

Boston Pops:

• Festival opening On the Star-Spangled Banner, Opus 23 (Pac)
• Bokaro holiday from rodeo (copeland)
• Ring Waltz (Rodgers)
• Times Square 1944 from On the city (Bernstein) | It Means Nothing (Ellington – R. Cebeski)

Boston Pops with Leslie Odom Jr.:

• Medley Criteria (arr. Elliott)
• Fly me to the moon (Howard) | My friend Donaldson
• On the day Lerner woke up My Favorite Things (Rodgers/Hammerstein)
• Love (Kaempfert/Gabler – R. Carmichael/Elliot)
• Let Me Be Your Star (Shaiman/Whitman — R. Eliot) | Wait for It (Miranda – R. Elliott) | Tonight, Tonight (Corgan – R. Elliott)
• Keep Breathing (Michaelson — R. Elliott)
• Smile (Chaplin/Turner/Parsons – Eliot’s Arrival)
• Change Will Come (Cook – R. Eliot)

Appearance:

• Open My Eyes (Traditional — R. Eliot) | Alexander Hamilton (Miranda) | I Wish You Love (Trenette / Chauliac — R. Eliot)