NY POPS Appoint Steven Reineke As Orchestra Music Director

The Board of Directors of The New York Pops and CEO James M. Johnson announced today the appointment of conductor Steven Reineke as the orchestra's Music Director, effective October 1, 2009. Mr. Reineke, who conducted The New York Pops' 25th Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall earlier this year, succeeds the organization's founder, Skitch Henderson, who died in 2005. The announcement concludes an extensive three-year search by the orchestra and was unanimously supported by the musicians on the search committee and the Board of Directors.

Mr. Reineke will next conduct the orchestra's 26th Birthday Gala at Carnegie Hall on Monday, April 27, 2009. He will also lead The New York Pops in the nationwide telecast of the 2009 Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular on NBC.

In addition to his duties as conductor, Mr. Reineke's responsibilities as Music Director of The New York Pops will include the development and supervision of The New York Pops and its programs, as well as the selection of visiting artists and ensembles. He will also work in collaboration with CEO James M. Johnson on the creation and implementation of future directions and initiatives for The New York Pops.

"The orchestra could not be in better hands," said James A. Read, Chairman of The New York Pops Board of Directors. "Steven is the ideal person to lead The New York Pops to an even higher level of musical excellence at Carnegie Hall. He will also spearhead our efforts to serve the greater New York community."

"I am thrilled beyond words to be the new Music Director of the esteemed New York Pops," said Steven Reineke. "It is my goal to build upon the wonderful tradition that Skitch Henderson created and lead the orchestra to new heights. The Great American Songbook is alive and well and growing every day, and I look forward to exploring new music, artists, and programming ideas to entertain the people of New York City and beyond."

"Having worked for five years with Skitch Henderson, who was beloved by so many New Yorkers, I can assure the members of our audience that they will soon make a new friend in Steven Reineke," said James M. Johnson, CEO. "Steven's charm, charisma and fantastic musical instincts will quickly win them over. He will swiftly gain the admiration of our contributors and members of the larger community, as well. I can't wait to introduce him to New York."

Steven Reineke

Steven Reineke will begin his tenure as Music Director of The New York Pops in October 2009. His three-year contract extends through September 30, 2012. Mr. Reineke will conduct the orchestra's annual concert series at Carnegie Hall as well as tours, recordings and broadcasts. New York's only permanent and professional symphonic pops orchestra, The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States.

During the 2009-2010 season, Steven Reineke will also begin his tenure as Principal Pops Conductor of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and embark on his second season as Principal Pops Conductor of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he holds the title of Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, where for thirteen years he has served as a composer, arranger, and conducting protégé of the celebrated pops conductor Erich Kunzel.

Steven Reineke's recent guest conducting appearances include the orchestras of Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Baltimore and Edmonton. In 2009 he makes his Boston Pops Orchestra debut. He made his Hollywood Bowl debut in 2007 with the multi-faceted entertainer Wayne Brady and returned to the Hollywood Bowl in 2008 to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In addition, Mr. Reineke conducted, arranged and orchestrated the music for Mr. Brady's orchestral show and played the same role in his collaboration with rock legend Peter Frampton.

As the creator of more than one hundred orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Mr. Reineke's arrangements have been performed worldwide, and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. Mr. Reineke is also an established symphonic composer. His works Celebration Fanfare, Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, with the most recent performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic in July 2008. In August 2008 his Sun Valley Festival Fanfare debuted with the Sun Valley Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the opening of the orchestra's new pavilion. In 2005 his Festival Te Deum and Swan's Island Sojourn were performed by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops respectively. The Cincinnati Enquirer had this to say about Festival Te Deum: "Melodious and joyous, it had antiphonal brass in the balconies, organ, full orchestra and wonderful choral passages." His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands around the world.

A native of Ohio, Mr. Reineke is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, where he earned bachelor of music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He currently resides in Cincinnati and will relocate to New York City in 2009.

The New York Pops

The New York Pops <www.newyorkpops.org> was founded by former NBC Music Director Skitch Henderson in 1983 to give New York a symphonic pops orchestra that would create greater public awareness and appreciation of America's rich musical heritage. Having performed more than 200 concerts at Carnegie Hall, The New York Pops continues to enjoy one of the highest subscription renewal rates of any series at Carnegie Hall. The orchestra has also toured throughout the world and performs free concerts in New York City parks through its Summermusic program. In addition to making its fifth appearance in the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular in 2009, The New York Pops has appeared in nationally syndicated radio series and on PBS. The orchestra's discography includes numerous recordings of popular song, film and theater music, and music for the holidays. The New York Pops' extensive education programs in all five boroughs of New York City allow public schoolchildren to participate in numerous concert and music-making experiences. A recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York Pops is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely through the generosity of individual donations, institutional grants, and concert income.

Additional information about the season is available by visiting www.newyorkpops.org. Tickets for the current season may be purchased through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting www.carnegiehall.org. The 2009-2010 season will be announced in January and subscriptions will be available to the public in April 2009.

Photo by Michael Tammaro