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 42nd 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 at Forest Hills Stadium, a 14,000-seat historic concert venue in Queens, New York.

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 the 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) and Instagram (@thenewyorkpops).

Steven Reineke is 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.

Mr. Reineke is a frequent guest conductor and can be seen on the podium with the Chicago, Dallas, and Detroit symphony orchestras, and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

On stage, Mr. Reineke creates and collaborates with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip-hop, R&B, Broadway, television, and rock, including Killer Mike, Maxwell, Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Ne-Yo, Barry Manilow, Cynthia Erivo, Ben Rector, Cody Fry, Sutton Foster, Amos Lee, Dispatch, Jason Mraz, and Ben Folds, among others.

As the creator of hundreds of orchestral arrangements, Mr. Reineke’s work is performed worldwide and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings. His wind ensemble compositions are published by the C. L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands perennially.

Tony DeSare performs with infectious joy, wry playfulness, and robust musicality. Named a Rising Star Male Vocalist in Downbeat magazine, Mr. DeSare has won critical and popular acclaim for his concert performances throughout North America and abroad. From jazz clubs to Carnegie Hall to Las Vegas, headlining with Don Rickles and major symphony orchestras, Mr. DeSare has brought his fresh take on old-school classics to audiences around the globe. He has four Billboard Top-10 jazz albums under his belt, and has been featured on CBS’s The Early Show, NPR, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Today Show. His music has been posted by social media celebrity George Takei, and he has collaborated with YouTube icons Postmodern Jukebox. Mr. DeSare’s recording Lush Life debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Traditional Jazz Chart, and in 2022, he released Song Diaries Vol. 2, now streaming on all platforms.

In addition to his critically acclaimed turns as a singer-pianist, Mr. DeSare is also an award-winning composer. He won first place in the USA Songwriting Contest, wrote the theme song for the motion picture My Date with Drew as well as several broadcast commercials, and composed the soundtracks for the Hallmark Channel’s Love Always and Santa, and Lifetime’s Nanny Nightmare and A Welcome Home Christmas. Mr. DeSare’s sound is romantic, swinging, and sensual, but what sets him apart is his ability to write original material that sounds fresh and contemporary, yet pays homage to the Great American Songbook. His compositions include a wide range of romantic, funny, and soulful sounds that can be found on his top-selling recordings.

Mr. DeSare’s forthcoming appearances include performances with the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Nashville, and Vancouver. In addition, he releases new recordings, videos of standards, and new originals regularly on his YouTube channel, Apple Music, and Spotify. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe on YouTube to stay connected. Tony DeSare is a Yamaha Artist.

Bria Skonberg is a Juno Award–winning artist, Downbeat Rising Star, Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing! awardee, and the 2022 recipient of The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook’s Legend Award. The trumpeter, vocalist, and composer has been called the “shining hope of hot jazz” (The New York Times) and is considered “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (The Wall Street Journal). She has been a featured artist at prestigious venues and festivals worldwide, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Monterey and Newport jazz festivals, and Montreal International Jazz Festival.

The daughter of teachers, Ms. Skonberg was introduced to jazz by a spirited public-school band program and local festival in her hometown of Chilliwack, British Columbia. A professional bandleader since her teens, she moved to Vancouver and obtained her degree in trumpet performance from Capilano University. Since arriving in New York in 2010, she has been at the forefront of a revival of classic American music as both a performer and educator, programming concerts and workshops for students of all ages on behalf of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Louis Armstrong House Museum, Jazz House Kids, and more.

Ms. Skonberg is an active mentor in the Women in Jazz Organization, a Bach Conn Selmer artist, and a board member of the International Trumpet Guild; she became a mother in 2020. Her seventh studio album, What It Means, was recorded in New Orleans with the Crescent City’s finest and was released to rave reviews in July 2024.

John Manzari is an Ovation and Helen Hayes award–nominated dancer, singer, actor, choreographer, and teacher. His stage credits include the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, The Tap Dance Kid, Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, 42nd Street, Maurice Hines Tappin’ Thru Life, The Wiz Is 40: A Celebration in Dance and Music, and Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. Television credits include Law & Order: SVU; the PBS specials Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limitless Future, and The Kennedy Center at 50; Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; Good Morning America; The View; Michael Feinstein at the Rainbow Room; The Jerry Lewis Telethon; and So You Think You Can Dance. Festival appearances include NY PopsUp, Spoleto Festival, Fall for Dance, Amelia Island Dance Festival, and Gold Coast Dance Festival. Mr. Manzari can be seen in Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back, a documentary about his mentor; the award-winning short film Slip; and Leonard Soloway’s Broadway.