The New York Pops Returns to Carnegie Hall on December 17 for its Annual Holiday Concert Tradition Joined by Laura Benanti

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Katlyn Morahan
Morahan Arts and Media
katlyn@morahanartsandmedia.com
(646) 378-9386

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THE NEW YORK POPS RETURNS TO CARNEGIE HALL ON DECEMBER 17 FOR ITS
ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONCERT TRADITION JOINED BY LAURA BENANTI

Back Home For the Holidays Marks The New York Pops’ First Concert Back at Carnegie Hall Since February 2020

November 8, 2021, New York, NY — The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, makes its long-awaited return to Carnegie Hall for Back Home for the Holidays, featuring guest artist Tony Award winner Laura Benanti on Friday, December 17, 2021 at 8 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The evening of traditional carols and contemporary holiday classics includes songs such as “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”, “Winter Wonderland”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, and “O, Holy Night”.

"This holiday concert is a homecoming for our entire New York Pops family—our musicians, PopsEd students, subscribers and donors—and I'm so glad we get to celebrate our return with the incomparable Laura Benanti,” said New York Pops Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke. “I can't wait to see you there!"

Upcoming concerts in The New York Pops’ 2021-22 Carnegie Hall season include: Get Happy: That Nelson Riddle Sound on Friday, February 4, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. with Tony DeSare and Capathia Jenkins; and One Night Only: An Evening with Norm Lewis on Friday, March 4, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. in addition to the orchestra’s 39th Birthday Gala on Monday, April 25, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

Concert Information

THE NEW YORK POPS
Back Home for the Holidays
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Laura Benanti, Guest Artist

Friday, December 17, 2021 at 8 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Tickets are available for purchase at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, at 57th and Seventh, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at (212) 247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website at carnegiehall.org.

American Airlines is the Official Airline of The New York Pops.

Marketo is a sponsor of The New York Pops Concert Series at Carnegie Hall. 

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. 

The New York Pops Carnegie Hall Subscription Series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Please note: to support a safe reopening for in-person events and in accordance with the advice of medical and public health experts, all artists, visitors, and staff will be required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID19 with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to enter Carnegie Hall. While inside Carnegie Hall, all guests must wear a properly fitting mask over their nose and mouth except when eating or drinking in designated areas. 

About The New York Pops
The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular music. Led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an annual subscription series at Carnegie Hall, and is among the venue’s most presented ensembles. Now in its 39th season, The New York Pops’ annual birthday gala is celebrated each spring, raising funds for the orchestra and its education programs. The New York Pops performs annually in Queens, NY at Forest Hills Stadium, a 14,000-seat historic concert venue. 

The New York Pops celebrates the diversity of popular music’s evolving songbook. Every concert is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, with influences ranging from Broadway melodies to film scores, jazz, rock, pop, and everything in between. Under Reineke’s dynamic leadership, The New York Pops continues to re-imagine orchestral pops music.

Through its PopsEd music education programs, The New York Pops fulfills its dedication to lifelong learning by collaborating with public schools, community organizations, and senior centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City. PopsEd allows thousands of New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds to participate in fully customizable music programs that blend traditional education with pure fun. 

The New York Pops is committed to serving all members of the community. Through its Kids in the Balcony and Kids in the Stadium programs, thousands of children and their parents have had an opportunity to see The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall and Forest Hills Stadium free of charge. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The New York Pops adapted its PopsEd programs to provide remote learning opportunities to students, and orchestra musicians were featured in new digital performances.

The New York Pops was founded by Ruth and Skitch Henderson in 1983 with a mission to create greater public awareness and appreciation of America’s rich musical heritage through presentation of concerts and education programs of the highest quality. The New York Pops is a non-profit organization supported solely through the generosity of individual donations, institutional grants, corporate sponsorships, and concert income.

Follow The New York Pops on Facebook (facebook.com/thenewyorkpops), Instagram (@thenewyorkpops), and Twitter (@thenewyorkpops).

About Steven Reineke
Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music. Mr. Reineke is the Music Director/Conductor of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Principal Pops Conductor of the Houston and Toronto Symphony Orchestras.

Reineke is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and his extensive North American conducting appearances include Atlanta, Cincinnati, Edmonton, San Francisco, and Sarasota.

On stage, Reineke has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, R&B, Broadway, television, and rock including Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Cynthia Erivo, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton, and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” featured Reineke leading the National Symphony Orchestra performing live music excerpts between news segments — a first in the show’s 45-year history. In 2018, Reineke led the National Symphony Orchestra with hip hop legend Nas performing his seminal album "Illmatic" on PBS's Great Performances.

As the creator of more than 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Reineke’s work has been performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare was used to commemorate the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.

About Laura Benanti
Tony® Award-winner and five-time Tony® Award nominee?Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress.

Benanti can currently be seen in HBO Max’s much awaited Gossip Girl reboot. Eight years after the original series, the new show addresses just how much social media — and the landscape of New York itself — has changed. Benanti also reprised her role on the final season of the hit TV series Younger, starring opposite Sutton Foster and Hilary Duff. The final season premiered on April 15th, 2021 and was just renewed for a second season.

Most recently, Benanti starred in Sara Colangelo’s Worth starring opposite Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci and Amy Ryan. The drama, acquired by Michelle and Barack Obama’s production company Higher Ground, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Set in the aftermath of 9/11, Worth follows lawyers Kenneth Feinberg and Camille S. Biros facilitating the implementation of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Benanti stars as a mother figuring out the best way to honor her late firefighting husband. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.

Additionally, Benanti will next be seen in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tick, Tick… Boom! for Netflix. The film is an adaptation of the autobiographical Off-Broadway show written by Johnathon Larson, who is best known for writing the award-winning musical Rent.

Benanti recently starred in the film Here Today opposite Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish. The comedy follows veteran comedy writer Charlie Berns (Crystal) slowly losing his grip on reality before meeting talented street singer Emma Payge (Haddish). Recently acquired by Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films, the comedy is set for release in US theaters on May 7th of this year.

Also, Benanti appeared as a guest star on the Showtime series Cinema Toast created by Jeff Baena and produced by the Duplass Brothers. Cinema Toast is a post-modernist reinvention of older movies that turns pre-existing imagery from the public domain on its head to tell brand new unique stories. In addition to Benanti, the episodes are voiced by actors including Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, Christina Ricci, Megan Mullally, Chris Meloni among others. Additionally, on Showtime, Benanti will be seen as a guest star in the highly anticipated variety show Ziwe featuring comedian Ziwe Fumudoh. The series will premiere on May 9th.

In 2020, Benanti?created and executive produced the HBO Max special, Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020, an unscripted musical special featuring students from across the U.S. The self-shot documentary-style film shines a light on personal experiences and incredible musical talent through performances of well-known songs that organically express their emotions.

Additionally, Benanti released a self-titled studio album for Sony Music Masterworks. The album is comprised of contemporary covers (“Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi and “Lose You to Love Me” by Selena Gomez), jazz influenced torch songs and comedic takes on beloved favorites. In 2018, Benanti produced the children’s album, “Singing You Home - Children's Songs for Family Reunification” in which all proceeds are donated to reuniting families separated at the border. The seven song album features stand-out artists including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ingrid Michaelson, Kristin Chenoweth, Cynthia Erivo, Idina Menzel among others.

In the publishing space, Benanti recently co-authored the comedic children's board book M is for MAMA (and also Merlot): A Modern Mom’s ABCs, co-written with Metropolitan Opera Star Kate Mangiameli. The irreverent board book provides laughter, reassurance, confidence, honesty — and perhaps even a moment of relaxation — for expectant new, and not-so-new, moms. M is for Mama has received high praise from celebrity parents including Amy Schumer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Connie Britton, calling it the new “go-to gift for new mothers” as well as being “funny, touching and original.”

Over the course of the last year, Benanti frequently appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in her celebrated comedic portrayal of First Lady Melania Trump. Additional television credits include series regular roles on the Samantha Bee and Jason Jones produced TBS show The Detour, Go On opposite Matthew Perry, Starved for FX,?as well as recurring roles?on Supergirl, ABC's Nashville and Eli Stone, CBS' The Good Wife and Elementary, Showtime's Nurse Jackie and The Big C, NBC's The Sound of Music Live, Law and Order: SVU and USA's Royal Pain.

In 2019, Benanti?made a triumphant return to Broadway as Eliza Doolittle in Lincoln Center's acclaimed production of My Fair Lady. Since making her Broadway debut at the young age of 18 as Maria in The Sound of Music opposite Richard Chamberlain, Benanti has wowed audiences in numerous musicals and plays, such as Steve Martin's hit Broadway play, Meteor Shower, where she costarred alongside Amy Schumer and Keegan Michael Key. Other Broadway roles include Amalia Balash in She Loves Me, for which she was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards.?Benanti?was also nominated for a Tony Award, and won both the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, for her starring role in the Broadway production of Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown for Lincoln Center Theatre.

Benanti earned the 2008 Tony® Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, a Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award for her revelatory portrayal of Louise in Gypsy opposite Patti LuPone. She also starred in the Broadway production of Sarah Ruhl's In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play, The Wedding Singer, Nine (starring Antonio Banderas), her Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-nominated performance of Cinderella in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, and her Tony® nominated turn in Swing!

Other distinguished theater performances include the Public Theater's production of Christopher Durang's Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them, Perdita in The Winter’s Tale at the Williamstown Theatre Festival opposite Kate Burton, Anne in A Little Night Music at LA Opera opposite Victor Garber, Eileen in Wonderful Town opposite Donna Murphy, and Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella, both for City Center Encores!

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