Carnegie Hall

The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City that specializes 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 milestone 40th 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, New York, 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 that range from Broadway melodies to film scores, jazz, rock, pop, and everything in between. Under Mr. Reineke’s dynamic leadership, The New York Pops continues to reimagine 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.

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 nonprofit 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, 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 Symphony and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and his extensive North American conducting appearances include performances with the Dallas and Detroit symphony orchestras and at 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, among others. In 2017, he was featured on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, leading the National Symphony Orchestra in a performance of live music excerpts between news segments—a first in the show’s 45-year history. In 2018, Mr. 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, 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. 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 resides in New York City with his husband, Eric Gabbard.

Born in New York City and raised by her mother, a sculptor, and her father, a classical composer, Ingrid Michaelson has artistry in her DNA. At age four, she began taking piano lessons, and she began to write her own songs after she graduated college with a degree in musical theater and began touring the country in a theater troupe. Ms. Michaelson founded the label Cabin 24 Records, which has released gold and platinum hits that include “The Way I Am,” “Girls Chase Boys,” and “You and I.”

While Ms. Michaelson has established herself as an artistic force over the course of eight full-length albums—including her latest release, Ingrid Michaelson’s Songs for the Season (Deluxe Edition)—she has also experienced success writing for other artists as well as for the stage and screen. In 2020, she received her first Emmy Award nomination for her original song “Build It Up,” written for the hit series Little Fires Everywhere. A lifelong Broadway fan, Ms. Michaelson made her stage debut in 2017 starring in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; she recently made her creative debut writing the music and lyrics for the musical adaptation of the best-selling novel The Notebook. Her most recent credits as a composer for film and television include Disney’s upcoming film Penelope and the Apple TV+ / Jim Henson Co. children’s television series Slumberkins. For more information, please visit ingridmichaelson.com.

Judith Clurman’s Essential Voices USA (EVUSA) is one of New York’s preeminent choral ensembles. EVUSA comprises a talented roster of seasoned professionals and auditioned volunteers, dynamically fitted to the unique needs of each project. The ensemble performs with The New York Pops on its Carnegie Hall subscription series and has appeared at Lincoln Center and on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. EVUSA recently released the recording Washington Women, a collection of choral songs scored for mixed chorus, piano, and cello by Ms. Clurman and David Chase. Ms. Clurman conducts Essential Voices USA and the Singing Christmas Tree float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and currently teaches at the Manhattan School of Music. Her work has received Emmy and Grammy nominations, and she has collaborated with major classical orchestras and conductors worldwide. She was director of choral activities at The Juilliard School for 18 years, and a faculty member for the National Endowment for the Arts and Columbia University’s Institute in Classical Music and Opera. Her music and arrangements are published by G. Schirmer, Schott, and Hal Leonard, and have been performed by the Detroit, Toronto, and National symphony orchestras; the San Francisco and Houston symphonies; and the New York and Boston pops.