Ron Schaefer

After a virtual reunion organized by Florence Belsky Charitable Foundation, Jen Sandler and Michael Kushner produce an evening at 54 Below celebrating alumni and current campers to raise funds for the Hancock French Woods Arts Alliance. 

Theatre critic Matt Windman returns to French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts to check out a Side By Side concert, conducted by Jason Robert Brown. He writes about his experience!

On April 25, 2022, The New York Pops celebrated their 39th Birthday with their yearly gala (the first since 2019), honoring Broadway legends Kristen and Bobby Lopez in: 'For The First Time In Forever: The Songs Of Kristen And Bobby Lopez!' The EGOT winning duo is known for their works on Broadway for the long-running smash hit 'The Book of Mormon' and modern Disney classics such as 'Frozen.' They recently won an Emmy for their song 'Agatha All Along' from Marvel Studios' 'Wandavison.'

Last night, the best of Broadway gathered at Carnegie Hall to join The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, for its 39th Birthday Gala, For the First Time In Forever: The Songs of Kristen and Bobby Lopez.

The best of Broadway gathered at Carnegie Hall to join The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, for its 39th Birthday Gala, For the First Time In Forever: The Songs of Kristen and Bobby Lopez. View photos!

Samantha Barks, Josh Gad, Maggie Lakis, Rob McClure, and Andrew Rannells will join The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, for its 39th Birthday Gala, For the First Time In Forever: The Songs of Kristen and Bobby Lopez, honoring the Academy and Grammy Award winning songwriting duo Kristen and Bobby Lopez.

The New York Pops 39th Birthday Gala concert, For the First Time In Forever: The Songs of Kristen and Bobby Lopez, on Monday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall will feature 27 participants from the orchestra's Kids on Stage program.

Kristen Bell (Film and Television star; voice of Anna in Disney’s Frozen), Caissie Levy (original Elsa in Frozen on Broadway) and Betsy Wolfe (originated leading role in world premiere of the Lopezes’ musical Up Here) will join The New York Pops, led by Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke, for its 39th Birthday Gala.

 The New York Pops today announced an initial line-up of guest artists for its 39th Birthday Gala, For the First Time In Forever: The Songs of Kristen and Bobby Lopez, honoring the Academy and Grammy Award winning songwriting duo Kristen and Bobby Lopez on Monday, April 25, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall.

Stars in the House presented a gala and telethon with French Woods Festival of the Arts partnering with the Hancock-French Woods Arts Alliance this past Sunday, August 16th. The virtual Gala reached over 20,000 views throughout the Stars In The House network and raised $26,000 with 100% of the proceeds supporting the College Arts Scholarship Fund.

The New York Pops will additionally honor Nicola M. Heryet, Principal of Avison Young; June Freemanzon, founding board member of The New York Pops; and Ron Schaefer, Founder of French Woods Festival for the Performing Arts, at its 37th Birthday Gala, Into the Unknown! The Songs of Kristen & Bobby Lopez, on Monday, April 27, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, presented by The New York Pops.

Over the last 50 years, French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts has become famous for its summer programs in music, theater, dance and the performing arts.  The bedrock of the program is an all-encompassing schedule of  80 theater productions, including shows that are fresh off Broadway, along with other favorites, classics, and forgotten jewels from the last century of musical theater. On top of that, Broadway stars, professional musicians, conductors, composers and playwrights as well as members of internationally recognized orchestras will visit French Woods during the summer and offer their mastery as coaches to the campers. Additionally, the instrumental program collaborates with the theater program with the use of live full orchestrations for the musicals. This raises the quality of the performance as well as the experience for performers and their audiences.

George Gershwin loved going to nightclubs. One evening when he was “on the town' with his pal Fred Astaire as they were in a club enjoying a group of entertainers George turned to Fred and said…”Where do all these new young talented people come from”?

Two years ago, I revisited French Woods Festival of the Arts (which I attended from 1999 to 2002 as a camper/teen actor and then as an assistant director/stage manager) and BroadwayWorld kindly published an article I wrote about the experience. In light of my responsibilities at work (attorney by day, theater critic by night) and at home (including a hyperactive toddler and commuting daily between NY and NJ), I was not planning on visiting again this past summer, but that instantly changed when I learned that the camp was planning on presenting 1776 for the first time in nearly two decades - and with an all-female cast.

The New York Pops just hosted its annual cabaret fundraiser at Feinstein's/54 Below last night, September 23, starring Tony and Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis. The event is hosted by New York Pops Music Director Steven Reineke.

The French Woods Music Department is excited to announce its latest collaboration. Members of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will join our French Woods Orchestra and Maestro Douglas Droste along with singers Andrea Burns and Caesar Samayoa in a special side by side concert on June 18th.

It was one of the most memorable nights of music ever heard in the Pavilion at the legendary French Woods, the French Woods Symphony Orchestra of 62 camp musicians was augmented by 15 Staff members and 15 members of The New York Pops under the baton of Maestro Steven Reineke, music director and conductor of The New York Pops.

No, not in the 1980's when he was a teenage camper.  It happened last night in the Pavilion at French Woods, whose stage has been the spawning ground for many of the actors and musicians who subsequently went on to Broadway.  Ron Schaefer the founder and owner of the camp didn't need to introduce Jason by listing his credits.  The 500 plus campers who filled every inch of space in the Pavilion were very familiar with Jason's work. The cheers and squeals when he appeared on the stage indicated he is one of their musical theatre heros.  Not only did they mouth the words while he was singing and playing the piano, at times Jason pointed to them and the campers responded by singing the next lyric. Some of them surrounding us were even supplying his complicated harmonies as back up.  This was some fantastic bit of spontaneous  sing-a-long, unlike any I've ever heard at a concert.

How do you take hundreds of kids (ages 7 to 17) and put up over a dozen shows (mostly musicals, plus a few plays) in as little as three weeks, with rehearsals limited to maybe just 12 or 13 days, with all or most of the cast rehearsing just slightly more than two hours each day, and many campers working on multiple shows at once? And I'm talking about completely staged shows with full production values, including sets, lighting, sound, costumes and live orchestras. Not only that, imagine repeating this same frenzied process four times over the course of a single summer.

In case you weren't excited enough for your yearly live music pilgrimage to Brisbane's Fortitude Valley Live Music Precinct for a sensory overload of music, BIGSOUND Festival has shown all its cards, dropping all the tools you need today to choose your own sonic adventure.