Contact:
Katlyn Morahan
Morahan Arts and Media
katlyn@morahanartsandmedia.com
(610) 914-3152

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THE NEW YORK POPS, LED BY MUSIC DIRECTOR STEVEN REINEKE, ANNOUNCES 2021-2022 SEASON AT CARNEGIE HALL

Season Features Guest Artists Laura Benanti, Tony DeSare, Capathia Jenkins and Norm Lewis

June 8, 2021, New York, NY — The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, today announces its 2021-2022 season of performances in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

The New York Pops returns to Carnegie Hall on Friday, December 17, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. with Back Home For the Holidays featuring Tony Award winner Laura Benanti (Gypsy, The Sound of Music, Into the Woods) in the orchestra’s annual holiday celebration, filled with traditional carols and contemporary classics.

On Friday, February 4, 2022 at 8:00 p.m., jazz vocalist Tony DeSare and Broadway star Capathia Jenkins join The New York Pops for Get Happy: That Nelson Riddle Sound, celebrating American arranger-composer Nelson Riddle, whose orchestrations were recorded by some of the most legendary voices of the 20th century, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Judy Garland.

Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis is featured with The New York Pops in an all-new program—One Night Only: An Evening with Norm Lewis—on Friday, March 4, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. which highlights his career on stage, including leading turns in Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Porgy and Bess, and Sweeney Todd.

“We are thrilled to return to our home at Carnegie Hall this December!” said New York Pops Music Director Steven Reineke. “We can’t wait to make music for you once more, and hope you join us at Carnegie Hall for our 2021-2022 season!”

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2021-2022 Program 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 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

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THE NEW YORK POPS
Get Happy: That Nelson Riddle Sound
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor

Tony DeSare, Guest Artist
Capathia Jenkins, Guest Artist

Friday, February 4, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

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THE NEW YORK POPS
One Night Only: An Evening with Norm Lewis
Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor

Norm Lewis, Guest Artist

Friday, March 4, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

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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 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Ticket Information
Carnegie Hall subscription packages for the 2021–2022 season are currently on sale. Single tickets for all 2021–2022 performances go on sale to Carnegie Hall subscribers and members on Monday, August 23 at 11:00 a.m., and to the general public on Monday, August 30 at 11:00 a.m.

About the Artists
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 38th 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).

Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music. In 2019, Mr. Reineke celebrated his tenth anniversary 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 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.

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