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, Drama Desk, and Grammy Award–nominated singer and actor Max von Essen is ecstatic to join Steven Reineke and The New York Pops again for his solo debut at Carnegie Hall. Recent Pops appearances include the 2023 gala honoring Barry Manilow, the 2021 Underground Cabaret, and the 2020 performance of Find Your Dream: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Mr. von Essen currently stars as Billy Flynn in the record-breaking Broadway production of Chicago, and he is perhaps best known for his acclaimed role as Henri Baurel in the award-winning adaptation of Gershwin’s An American in Paris, which The New York Times described as “a hard-earned, breakthrough performance of great sensitivity and charm.” Other Broadway credits include Gleb Vaganov in Anastasia, Agustín Magaldi in Evita, revivals of Les Misérables and Jesus Christ Superstar, Alfred in Dance of the Vampires, and the final company of the original Les Misérables. On tour, he has captivated audiences in roles such as Marvin in the Lincoln Center revival of Falsettos, Sonny Malone in Xanadu, Mary Sunshine in Chicago, and Tony in West Side Story.

Mr. von Essen’s concert work has taken him to stages nationwide and throughout New York City, including Birdland, Paradise Club, and 54 Below. His debut album, Call Me Old Fashioned: The Broadway Standard, is currently available, and he can also be heard on recordings of An American in Paris, Evita, Drag: The Musical, Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Death Takes a Holiday, and Finian’s Rainbow.

Television credits include guest-starring roles on Law & Order, Family Guy, The Blacklist, Law & Order: SVU, Elementary, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Royal Pains, Gossip Girl, Sex and the City 2, and the web series Submissions Only. For more information or to learn about upcoming performances, visit MaxvonEssen.com and follow @maxizpad on social media.