The New York Pops Announces 2025-26 Season at Carnegie Hall

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Katlyn Morahan | Morahan Arts and Media
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THE NEW YORK POPS,
LED BY MUSIC DIRECTOR STEVEN REINEKE,
ANNOUNCES 2025-26 SEASON AT CARNEGIE HALL

Season Kicks Off with From Stage to Screen with 
Hugh Panaro and Elizabeth Stanley
on Friday, October 24, 2025

Mandy Gonzalez joins The New York Pops for
Everything I Know: Mandy Gonzalez Sings Lin-Manuel Miranda
on Friday, November 21, 2025

Annual Holiday Concerts Feature Megan Hilty
on December 19 and 20, 2025

Additional Concerts in 25-26 Season Include
If I Ain’t Got You: The Best of R&B Featuring Maleah Joi Moon and
Avery Wilson on Friday, February 13, 2026
and From Then to Now: The Music of US with Max Clayton, Nova Payton, and
Ephraim Sykes on Friday, March 13, 2026,
Both Part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 Festival

February 12, 2025, New York, NY — The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, today announces its 2025-2026 season of performances in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

The New York Pops begins its 2025-26 season on Friday, October 24, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. with From Stage to Screen featuring Hugh Panaro and Elizabeth Stanley. The season opening concert includes unforgettable songs from Broadway musicals inspired by iconic films, alongside beloved tunes from movie adaptations of Broadway's greatest hits.

On Friday, November 21, 2025 at 8:00 p.m., Mandy Gonzalez joins The New York Pops for Everything I Know: Mandy Gonzalez Sings Lin-Manuel Miranda. The New York premiere program celebrates the synergy between Gonzalez’s vocal talent and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s iconic songwriting. Directed by Dick Scanlan with musical arrangements by Dan Lipton, the evening features stories, rhythms, and melodies from In the Heights, Hamilton, New York, New York, Encanto, Vivo, and more.

The New York Pops’ annual holiday tradition returns on Friday, December 19 and Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. with A Place Called Home featuring Megan Hilty and Judith Clurman’s Essential Voices USA. The festive concerts are full of holiday classics, spirited carols, and heartwarming performances that capture the magic of this special time of the year.

On Friday, February 13, 2026 at 8:00 p.m., The New York Pops celebrates Valentine’s Day with If I Ain’t Got You: The Best of R&B with Maleah Joi Moon and Avery Wilson. The concert features love songs, empowering anthems, and soulful performances celebrating romance, friendship, and the joy of shared connections.

The New York Pops concludes its 2025-26 season on Friday, March 13, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. with From Then to Now: The Music of US joined by Max Clayton, Nova Payton, and Ephraim Sykes. The evening explores a retrospective of America's rich and unique musical heritage 250 years in the making, from Native American music to African spirituals, colonial hymns, ragtime, jazz, blues, Appalachian folk, rock & roll, rhythm & blues, rap, and more.

Both the February 13th and March 13th concerts are part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival highlighting the extraordinary musical riches that have evolved and flourished in the United States. With a wide variety of programs exploring diverse voices and influences that have shaped—and continue to shape—American identity, the festival offers a multifaceted musical reflection of the United States 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“We are thrilled to return for our 43rd season at Carnegie Hall!” said New York Pops Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke. “This season will feature some of our most ambitious programming yet, with concerts highlighting the relationship between Broadway and film, the music of Lin-Manuel Miranda, and a program dedicated to exploring the 250-year history of American popular music. Plus, our friend Megan Hilty returns for our annual holiday performances, and we’ll get in the Valentine’s Day spirit with the best of R&B. It’s sure to be a terrific season!”

2025-2026 Program Information

THE NEW YORK POPS
From Stage to Screen
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Hugh Panaro, Guest Artist
Elizabeth Stanley, Guest Artist

Friday, October 24, 2025 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
__________________________________

THE NEW YORK POPS
Everything I Know: Mandy Gonzalez Sings Lin-Manuel Miranda
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Mandy Gonzalez, Guest Artist

Friday, November 21, 2025 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
__________________________________

THE NEW YORK POPS
A Place Called Home
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Megan Hilty, Guest Artist
Essential Voices USA, Judith Clurman, Music Director and Conductor

Friday, December 19, 2025 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

__________________________________

THE NEW YORK POPS
If I Ain’t Got You: The Best of R&B
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Maleah Joi Moon, Guest Artist
Avery Wilson, Guest Artist

Friday, February 13, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
__________________________________

THE NEW YORK POPS
From Then to Now: The Music of US
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor
Max Clayton, Guest Artist
Nova Payton, Guest Artist
Ephraim Sykes, Guest Artist

Friday, March 13, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage 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.

Ticket Information
Carnegie Hall subscription packages for the 2025–2026 season are currently on sale. Single tickets for 2025–2026 performances go on sale to Carnegie Hall subscribers and members on Monday, August 4, 2025 at 11:00 a.m., and to the general public on Monday, August 11, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

About the Artists
Comprised of 78 musicians, The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, now in its 42nd season as 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. The New York Pops’ annual birthday gala is celebrated each spring, raising funds for the orchestra and its education programs. The orchestra 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 unique experience, with influences that range from Broadway melodies to film scores, jazz, rock, pop, and more. The orchestra collaborates with stars from the stage and screen including Sara Bareilles, Kristen Bell, Clive Davis, Montego Glover, James Monroe Iglehart, Capathia Jenkins, Carly Rae Jepsen, Angela Lansbury, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Norm Lewis, Barry Manilow, Kelli O’Hara, Adrienne Warren, Dionne Warwick, Miss Piggy, and others.

Through its PopsEd music education programs, The New York Pops fulfills its dedication to lifelong learning and collaborates 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 residency programs that blend traditional education with pure fun. These programs make music open to all and use tools like composition, lyric writing, performance, and mentorship to foster learning and unbridled creativity. In doing so, PopsEd excites students and gives them skills they can apply to all areas of their lives. 

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. To date, PopsEd programs have served over 100,000 New York City students. 

Over the years, the orchestra has presented free concerts in city parks, community organizations, and senior centers; performed the National Anthem at sports venues; and toured throughout the world. Past media projects include the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular on NBC Television, a nationally syndicated radio series, and performances on PBS. The orchestra’s discography encompasses recordings of popular standards, theater and film scores, and music for the holidays.

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) and Instagram (@thenewyorkpops).

Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America's leading conductors of popular music and is in his second decade as Music Director 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 Dallas, Detroit, and the Ravinia Music Festival.

On stage, Mr. 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, amongst others. In 2017 he was featured on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" leading the National Symphony Orchestra - in a first for the show's 45-year history - performing live music excerpts in between news segments. 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 one hundred orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Mr. 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 in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. 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 Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.

A native of Ohio, Mr. Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio (2020 Alumnus Distinguished Achievement Medal), where he earned bachelor of music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in New York City with his husband Eric Gabbard.

Photo of Hugh Panaro by Katie Bleacher; photo of Elizabeth Stanley by Jenny Anderson; photo of Mandy Gonzalez by Justin Patterson; photo of Megan Hilty by Tony Matula; photo of Maleah Joi Moon by Ramon Rivas; photo of Nova Payton by Norman E. Jones; photo of Ephraim Sykes by David Needleman

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