The New York Pops Celebrate Johnny Mercer's 100th Birthday with Ann Hampton Callaway 11/20

The New York Pops celebrates the centenary of the birth of lyricist and composer Johnny Mercer at Carnegie Hall on Friday, November 20 at 8:00PM. Joining Music Director Steven Reineke and the orchestra are multi-platinum selling singer and songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway, known for starring in the hit Broadway musical "SWING!"; Broadway performer James T. Lane; and actress and opera singer N'Kenge. Together with the Camp Broadway Kids they will perform treasured compositions from the vast Johnny Mercer songbook; highlights include "Dream," "Come Rain or Come Shine," and "Moon River".

Music Director Steven Reineke says, "I am very excited to present our Johnny Mercer Centennial concert, 'Too Marvelous for Words', with The New York Pops. We will celebrate the great genius of Johnny Mercer with not only his brilliant lyrics, but also some of his original music that has touched the hearts of many generations. Come and celebrate Mercer's 100th birthday with "That Old Black Magic", "Blues in the Night", "Autumn Leaves". We will be joined onstage by some outstanding soloists in this vibrant tribute to a man who is truly one of America's greatest songwriters!"

ABOUT Johnny Mercer

Johnny Mercer was a multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter and singer responsible for many of the most beloved American songs in the 20th century. Whether by his voice or his pen, Mercer's poetic genius continues to reflect the romantic yearnings, wit, energy, and personality that is the American dream. Highlights of his songbook include the light-hearted "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" and "Jeepers Creepers", the romantic "Laura," "Dream" and "I Remember You", the big band hit "And The Angels Sing", the dramatic "Blues In The Night," "Come Rain Or Come Shine" and "One For My Baby", the sassy "Satin Doll" and "Tangerine," and the timeless standards "Black Magic," "Glow Worm," "Days Of Wine And Roses," and "Moon River". Mercer wrote the lyrics to more than a thousand songs, including compositions for ninety motion pictures and six Broadway shows, and received nineteen Academy Award nominations. Mercer was the founder of both Capitol Records and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and he discovered and nurtured the talent of artists like Margaret Whiting, Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole. Mercer was also a co-founder of Capitol Records.

Ann Hampton Callaway makes her fourth appearance with The New York Pops on November 20. As a champion of the great American Songbook, she has made her mark as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host and producer. Her unique singing style blends jazz and traditional pop, making her a mainstay in concert halls, theaters and jazz clubs as well as in the recording studio, on television, and in film. She is best known for Tony-nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical Swing! and for writing and singing the theme song to the hit TV series The Nanny. Her latest CD, At Last - released by Telarc International in February 2009 - was named one of the "Top 5 Jazz CDs of the Year" by NPR.

N'Kenge has been taking both the opera and pop concert stages by storm with her versatility and show-stopping stage presence. A native New Yorker and graduate of both the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, she has performed around the world, and is excited about making her Carnegie Hall debut this year with The New York Pops. Other concert appearances this season include the Cincinnati Pops, Phoenix Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Edmonton and Baltimore Symphony. This past summer N'Kenge premiered her one-woman-show DivaLicious in New York City and starred in The Genius of Ray Charles at the Royal Haymarket Theater in London's West End. N'Kenge has performed as a soloist at the White House, Kennedy Center, and at the Library of Congress, which was broadcast worldwide on NPR. She will release a new album in 2010.

James T. Lane, singer, actor and dancer, is thrilled to make his Carnegie Hall Debut with The New York Pops. Lane's performing credits include Richie Walters in the 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line; Aaron in Chicago on Broadway; the lead role of Tyrone Jackson in both the National and European touring companies of Fame the musical; the U.S. tour of Cinderella starring Eartha Kitt; and Philadelphia productions of Finnian's Rainbow, Dreamgirls, and Cole Porter's The Pirate. James has also appeared on many television programs, such as One Life to Live and Dancing with the Stars. In summer 2009 he performed with the Indianapolis Pops in an original program Irving Berlin: From Rags to Ritzes.

Camp Broadway presents "The Camp Broadway Kids"! Comprised of 100 performers ages 10 to 17, these kids have come to Carnegie Hall from sixteen states in celebration of Johnny Mercer's Centennial. Camp Broadway has worked extensively for many years with The Johnny Mercer Foundation's "Accentuate the Positive" program, a lyric writing program conducted in classrooms nationwide. Camp Broadway is a leader in theatre arts programming, educational camps, special events, and curricula development. Having worked with over 250,000 children since 1995, the organization provides theater programs and workshops to students at its annual summer camps held in NYC and across America, and was featured on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® from 2001-2008.

Steven Reineke begins his tenure as Music Director of The New York Pops in the 2009-2010 season. Mr. Reineke conducts the orchestra's annual concert series at Carnegie Hall as well as tours, recordings, and nationwide telecasts, including the annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular on NBC Television. Mr. Reineke is also Principal Pops Conductor of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. He holds the title of Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, where for fifteen years he served as a composer, arranger, and conducting protégé of the late celebrated pops conductor Erich Kunzel. Reineke's notable conducting appearances include his 2007 Hollywood Bowl debut, his 2008 Carnegie Hall debut conducting The New York Pops, and his Boston Pops and Philadelphia Orchestra debuts in 2009. Mr. Reineke is also an established symphonic composer, with the most recent performances of his works by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The New York Pops <www.newyorkpops.org> 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 Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an annual subscription series and birthday gala at Carnegie Hall, enjoying one of the highest subscription renewal rates of any series at Carnegie Hall. The New York Pops was founded by former NBC Music Director Skitch Henderson in 1983 with a mission to create greater public awareness and appreciation of America's rich musical heritage. Along with performing at Carnegie Hall, The New York Pops tours throughout the world and gives free concerts in New York City parks through its Summermusic program. The orchestra's media projects include performing music for the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular on NBC since 2004, nationwide radio broadcasts, and numerous recordings. The New York Pops' extensive education programs allow thousands of public schoolchildren to participate in concert and music-making experiences at Carnegie Hall and in schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

TICKETS

$33, $37, $46, $74, $94 and $104; Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street. Tickets may also be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or online by visiting www.carnegiehall.org.