The “ASO Pops Series” is popping.

The latest iteration is the Allentown Symphony Pops’ “Rock On! Classic Rock & Pop from the 1970’s and 1980’s,” 7:30 p.m. May 13.

ASO Associate Conductor Ronald Demkee conducts the concert, featuring vocalists Lakisha Jones, Rob Evan and Morgan James, accompanied by backup vocalists and a rock backup band.

The “ASO Pops Series” has expanded in recent years from one to two to three concerts and, for the 2017-18 season, four concerts.

“Eight to 10 years ago, we started doing one pops concert, either in September or October,” says Diane Wittry, ASO Music Director-Conductor.

“We started the second pops concert in May. About two or three years ago, we went to three pops concerts, by adding one in the summer.”

For the 2017-18 season, a fourth pops concert will take place in January 2018.

“Usually, for the May show, we do more current tunes,” Wittry says. “A lot of these songs have been around for 30 years. They’ve become classics in their own right.”

The May 13 concert promises to rock Miller Symphony Hall with a bevy of Baby Boomer and Generation X favorites, from: Wild Cherry, “Play That Funky Music” to Eagles, “Hotel California” to Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” to Michael Jackson, “Man in the Mirror,” to Aerosmith, “Dream On.”

Says Wittry, “I think the program is really excellent. Anybody who grew up in the 70s, ‘80s and ‘90s will be familiar with the music.

“A lot of the rock and roll groups and musicians utilized in their pieces famous melodies from classical concertos, and took the melodies and used it as their core,” Wittry adds citing Sting, Moody Blues, ELO and Mannheim Steamroller.

“Because there are so many rights involved and to have orchestral arrangements, and really good orchestral arrangements, we work with managers in New York on shows that have been created and performed with major orchestras across the United States,” Wittry says.

“Every show comes with a rider, which is all the instructions for the lighting [and other technical aspects]. Everything has to be done very quickly. We have a wonderful stage crew at Symphony Hall,” says Wittry, citing Kevin Kiernan, Director of Hall Operations at Miller Symphony Hall.

“We actually have a pops programming philosophy,” Wittry continues. “There’s a variety of things we can bring in. We try to hit three or four major areas. We been pretty regularly opening with some sort of Broadway show, a combination of Broadway show music with Broadway singers.

“I feel it’s important for the orchestra to be accessible to all different members of our larger community. And it’s important that we play a wide variety of music.

“Pops have been growing for the last 30 years. What I think has changed is the philosophy around pops. Twenty-five, thirty years ago, the philosophy was that they would do pops and then most of those people would come to their classical concerts.

“Then a bunch of studies were done and it was shown that those weren’t really showing in the numbers.

“We are now seeing a trend where the pops audience is coming to the classical series and subscription series.

“In Allentown, the majority of our classical audience subscribe to the pops. And we’re beginning to see a trend of the pops single-ticket buyers buying tickets for the classical.

“The separation will no longer be: it’s classical or rock and roll or jazz or country. It’s good music. And all different types of instrumentation will be utilized,” Wittry says.

For “Rock On,” in addition to the lead vocalists, there will be three backup singers, DeShana Wooden, Nick Trawick and Calli Graver, and a rock-band rhythm section, Heinrich Kruse, drums; Kent Ashcraft, electric guitar; Paul Klinefelter, electric bass, and Terry Klinefelter, piano-keyboards.

LaKisha Jones, a Top Four four finalist during the 2007 season of “American Idol,” released an last album, “So Glad I’m Me,” appeared on Broadway in the Oprah Winfrey-produced, Tony Award-winning musical, “The Color Purple,” and has sung with symphonies worldwide.

Rob Evan has performed seven leading roles on the New York stage, including the original Broadway cast of “Jekyll & Hyde,” is a vocalist and recording artist with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, has toured arenas and sung with leading symphonies.

Morgan James, a graduate of The Juilliard School, has sung at Birdland and Joe’s Pub, appeared on Broadway in “Motown: the Musical” and “Godspell,” and has sung with symphonies nationwide.

Tickets: Miller Symphony Hall Box Office, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown; allentownsymphony.org; 610-432-6715