The POPS was founded in 1987, dedicated to the finest musical entertainment and has since established itself as one of the region's prominent orchestras, attracting about 50,000 people every year to its summer concerts at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge; the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and other venues in Southern California. It also conducts pioneering educational outreach programs crafted by Rachael Worby for students at inner city schools in Los Angeles and Pasadena.
"The POPS has attracted noteworthy people and significant attention under the musical vision of Rachael Worby," said Hancock. "I look forward to fortifying these successes and expanding on the organization's outstanding programs to reach a far broader and more diverse audience."
Before his affiliation in Milwaukee, Hancock was executive director and chief executive at The Spokane Symphony from 1999-2004. Prior to that, he was with the Toledo (Ohio) Symphony, where he was operations and personnel manager and director of concert production and grants, and a musician, as well, where he played French horn, from 1980-99.
His other credentials include orchestra manager at the Des Moines Metro Opera and full-time music faculty member at the University of Michigan and Murray State University in Kentucky. Hancock was an accomplished French horn player before moving into management and executive leadership.
Hancock's education includes the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders; Doctor of Musical Arts in Horn Performance from the University of Michigan; Master of Music, Performance, Boston University; and Bachelor of Music, Performance, Simpson College.John Hancock20060126itm3rlnc(LA)
