Megan Hilty Is Performing with the Boston Pops on Castle Hill

Photo by Curtis Brown

Tony Award-nominated actress and singer Megan Hilty will join the Boston Pops for a special performance at the scenic Castle Hill this summer.

The highly anticpated event, which takes place on Saturday, August 6, will be the orchestra’s first-ever show at the historic venue. It will also celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Trustees of Reservations, the organization that helps preserve and protect local properties with ecological or historical value for public use.

Hilty, who’s performed with the Pops on several occasions, is extremely excited to team up with the orchestra again. She considers the Pops a “national institution” that has become “world famous for being some of the best of the best.”

“Singing with the Boston Pops is everything I’ve dreamed,” Hilty says. “They’re such incredible musicians and to be singing in that space too is unbelievable.”

From Broadway favorites to Great American Songbook classics, fans should expect to hear many familiar songs at the upcoming show. Hilty will perform a few tunes from her hit musical drama Smash as well.

“I’m so looking forward to that concert,” she says.

Maya & Marty Photo by Virginia Sherwood / NBC

While the Castle Hill performance will likely be an enjoyable way to kick off the last month of summer, the season didn’t start out particularly well for Hilty, the Broadway community, and pretty much the rest of the country.

The tragic shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando occurred mere hours before the 70th annual Tony Awards, which turned the show into a somewhat somber affair.

Hilty, who earned her first Tony nomination at this year’s ceremony, had just returned from Australia when she heard the news of the shooting. The actress and singer admits that, at first, it felt weird to get dressed up for the show, but soon realized the importance of the event due to the LGBTQ community’s strong presence in the theater scene.

“To continue on with a ceremony that celebrates a community that accepts everyone was especially important. It was a beautiful show and it was an honor to be apart of, but it was a hard day to keep it going,” she says.

The Noises Off cast member later was able to honor the Orlando shooting victims in another way during a special tribute on Maya & Marty. Hilty joined several Broadway stars, including Sean Hayes, B.D. Wong, Fran Drescher, and Victor Garber, for a touching performance of “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”

Hilly says that she had mixed emotions while singing at the tribute, but felt it was necessary in order to “be an ally for the victims, families, and loved ones.”

“It’s unfortunate that we had to do it in the first place,” she says. “But it’s important that we show up and show our love and support.”

Hilty believes that the purpose of theater and the arts is to not just provide an enjoyable experience for the audience, but to also help people cope and get through extremely tough times.

“I think music and live performances are crucial to any healing process,” she says. “Music has a way to speak to people and move people in a way that just talking can’t.”

Megan Hilty performs with the Boston Pops at Castle Hill on Saturday, August 6. For more information, check out thetrustees.org.