The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Pops are talking merger. “The orchestra and the Pops are very different kinds of organizations. The orchestra has a much larger budget, listenership and season schedule. Each has its own distinct board and audience. There is some small overlap in musicians. Still, many U.S. orchestras maintain both a serious-repertoire ensemble and a pops series or pops orchestra – most notably, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which also operates the Boston Pops.”